


Breaking for You

by teidados



Category: Running Man RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drama & Romance, F/M, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-03-10 08:13:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 52
Words: 139,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3283265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teidados/pseuds/teidados
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friends drag Kim Jong Kook to a sort of "back alley" fortune teller, one who has the power to show you not just the path of your own life, but that of your soul mate, as well.</p><p>What happens when he finds out she's out there - the one - but their paths are never destined to cross?</p><p>No big deal. This kind of stuff isn't real, right?</p><p>Until that back alley fortune teller has an offer for him. She can reach into the haze filling her darkened back room and break the path of his soul mate's life, laying it neatly across his own, winding them together forever.</p><p>For a price.</p><p>(Crossposted while looking for a permanent home.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beastnapping

_Spring, 2011_

 

"Is he drunk?"

"I think he's drunk."

Lee Kwang Soo gingerly lifts Kim Jong Kook's arm from his side and watches it fall limply back to the couch.

"Ah, yes," he says. "I believe he's drunk. Maybe dead. Probably drunk. Possibly dead."

Haha hops to his feet. "Okay!" He claps his hands briskly. "Put him in the car."

Kwang Soo and Gary eye the unconscious form slumped on the couch.

“Oh, _just put him in the car_. Okay, let me finish counting to infinity and I’ll _just put him in the car_. I can fit that in right before I’m scheduled to bite my own ass.”

Gary’s not feeling Haha’s plan.

“He’s not as big as he looks,” Haha counters. “I’ve -- “ he grunts “ -- got his feet. You two get his arms and we’ll load him up.”

“All right,” says Kwang Soo, eyeing Jong Kook up dubiously. “But if he wakes up -- “

“Maybe dead. Possibly dead. Probably dead. All of us,” finishes Gary, slinging a floppy arm over his shoulder and giving a heave.

* * *

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?” Haha looks into the rearview mirror, making eye contact with Kwang Soo, who is ensuring Jong Kook stays reasonably unconscious in order to keep the rest of them reasonably safe, though he has absolutely _no_ idea what his game plan is should the man start to stir. The two riding up front had no suggestions in response to his desperate pleas as they slammed the back door in his face, the lightly snoring drunk’s head lolling on his lap. At least he’ll be able to sound an alarm, giving Gary and Haha time to escape.

“Can you explain to me just one more time what it is we’re doing?”

“We’re going to a fortune teller for Jong Kook’s birthday.”

“So he can find his soul mate,” Gary adds.

“And we couldn’t have just said, ‘Hey, JK, happy birthday, let’s go to a fortune teller and find you a wife, buddy?,’” asks Kwang Soo, voice somewhat strangled with effort not to disturb the subject of the conversation.

“Well, no, it’s not that simple,” Haha explains. “He doesn’t believe in fortune tellers.”

“Sooo… ?” Kwang Soo let’s the question hang in the air.

“You know he wants to meet someone. You know he wants to get married, have kids, all of that,” Gary breaks in. “You saw him tonight, drinking and looking grim. It’s like that every year now, and a little worse every time, especially with his friends married and having kids. What’s the harm in injecting a little hope into the situation and having a laugh at the same time? We drag the sad sack of muscles in there, she waves her arms and does some woo woo business, tells him love is on the way, and he’s drunk enough to buy into it for once. That’s the gist, right?”

“Weeeeellllll…,” Haha hedges as he turns the car off the main road and onto a darker side street. “Sort of.”

“What do you mean, ‘sort of,’ Dong Hoon? I signed up for the woo woo. Tell me we’re doing the woo woo. And where are you going, anyway?” Gary peers out the window, noting the street lights are fewer and farther between than before.

“So. Well. The thing is.”

“What’s the thing, Haha hyung?,” Kwang Soo demands. “Tell me the thing. Tell me the thing right now or I swear I will open this door and tuck and roll.” He’s been eyeing the side of the road and evaluating its potential for soft landings for the last few miles. None of this seems like a good idea anymore, not that it had ever been a brilliant plan in the first place. And now there’s a _thing_.

“We’re still going to a fortune teller. We are. Woo woo. Yes.” Haha leans forward to see a little better through the windshield as the quality of the road becomes a bit more questionable. “She’s just not a _normal_ fortune teller. She’s different.” He spots his turn in the dark and yanks the car to the right suddenly, bumping down something that could only in the most generous of definitions be considered a road.

“DIFFERENT HOW?,” the other men squawked simultaneously.

“SHHH. Shh.,” Haha scolded. “She’s different. She’s… she can… she can do things. Listen, this is going to be fine. This is going to be good.”

“Dong Hoon!,” Gary said. “This was supposed to be like a joke, some fun to lift his spirits. And now we’re -- Where ARE WE? We’ve STOLEN a drunken wildebeast from his home and we’re driving him to the middle of nowhere to have some sort of special woo woo woman ‘do things’ to him?”

“Oh my god, we’re kidnappers!,” Kwang Soo wails from the backseat. “We’re going to be arrested. We’re going to jail. My career is over. I can’t go to prison!” He’s quickly descending into panic. “Hyungs. HYUNGS. I CAN’T GO TO PRISON. I’m too tall! JUMPSUITS GIVE ME A WEDGIE.”

Haha sighs. “Calm down, Kwang Soo, no one is going to prison -- “

“That’s right,” Gary agrees. “Because Jong Kook is _definitely_ going to murder us and leave our bodies out here where no one will ever -- DONG HOON. WHERE ARE WE.”

“EVERYONE CALM DOWN!,” Haha bellows raspily. “No one is going to die. No one is going to prison. No one is getting a wedgie. We’re going to a fortune teller, just not your average fortune teller, not the kind you see in the market. I got a recommendation. This woman has what we need.”

“I’m going to need a liiiiittle bit more to go on here,” Kwang Soo requests. “At least for my own comfort. As far as I can tell, we’re in the middle of nowhere and my legs have gone numb underneath the top half of Jong Kook, so I feel like you owe me as much information as possible, seeing as how I’m clearly the weak member who will be easily separated off from the pack and eaten should anything go wrong here.”

“Okay, first of all, I have never seen Jong Kook eat a person, so relax. Second of all, the fortune teller -- I think we’re almost there -- she only does this soul mate stuff.”

“Soul mates aren’t a real thing, Dong Hoon, you can’t believe in that.”

“They are, though, Gary!,” Haha replies earnestly. “Just listen to me. Not everyone knows about this woman. Actually, almost no one does. This isn’t a place you can just go to whenever you want, and I’m not sure, but I kind of get the idea that you might not _want_ to. But never mind that,” he hurries on, noting the other two about to object again.

“So like I said, I got a recommendation from my g-- someone. From someone. Someone. This person’s family has known about the fortune teller for years and years. And this person has been there her -- themself. She doesn’t tell you your career prospects or how happy you’re going to be or anything like that. She only does one thing. Soul mates. _Everyone_ has a soul mate. Everyone. And my… someone… has used this woman to find out information about their soul mate. And the information provided is _dead on accurate_.”

“So, what,” Gary says skeptically, “we go in there, ask who Jong Kook’s soul mate is, he go finds her, and they live happily ever after? If that was actually possible, everyone would be doing it.”

“Well, Go… someone… was kind of vague on exactly how it worked. From what I gather, there’s a lot this woman can do, but… “

“But… ?” Kwang Soo urges.

“But… the more you want, the more it costs,” Haha finishes. He seems uneasy.

“That’s not so bad, though,” Kwang soo replies. “That’s not so bad at all.” His attitude is quickly turning around. “If we take Jong Kook to this woman, and she tells him his soul mate -- assuming you’re not playing some elaborate joke because you think getting us all killed is hilarious -- he’ll be happy! That’s actually a really good birthday present, hyung! Thanks for letting us take credit for this with you!” Kwang Soo is downright cheerful now.

Haha shifts uneasily in his seat.

“And also,” Gary adds, “it’s fine if more information is more expensive, right? It’s true he’s really careful with his money, but if he finds out the woman for him is out there, he’s not going to hesitate to spend money to make the connection. Uuuuwaahhh, Dong Hoon. Daebak.”

Haha eases the car to the side of the road where two dim electric lanterns frame a gate.

“Well, that’s another thing,” he says.

“Why are there so many things!,” Kwang Soo cries.

“It’s just that those other more expensive things -- it’s not _money_ expensive.”

“What else is there?,” Gary demands, his face a mix of challenging and exasperated. “Never mind. Are we here? I can’t take any more. I’m ready to woo woo.”

“Are we where? What’s going -- uuughhhh -- Kwang Soo, why are you holding me?”

****  
  
  
  



	2. Many Strings

The two in the front seat whip their heads around to meet Kwang Soo’s panicked look.

“Kwang Soo? What’s happening?” Jong Kook is waking up, trying to stretch his legs in the cramped back seat, looking startled when his feet slam against the opposite door.

Kwang Soo looks back and forth between his accomplices with wide eyes, waiting for the two frozen lumps of useless to say something, DO ANYTHING, then takes matters into his own hands.

He leans down and kisses Jong Kook dead on the mouth.

“Happy birthday, hyung! Yaaaaaaayy… aaaayy… aaay… “ he trails off, waving jazz hands lamely in the air above Jong Kook’s head, still in his lap.

Jong Kook stares back up at him, bewildered, then angry, then suddenly very pale. He launches himself from the backseat with an agility that would surprise anyone unfamiliar with his ability to pounce and starts losing what must have been his last two, or three, or four drinks on the ground outside the dimly lit wrought iron gate.

The three left inside the vehicle gawk at each other, communicating silently for a split second whether or not the best course of action is to flee with their lives now, then simultaneously scramble after Jong Kook, loyalty winning out.

Haha and Gary stand off to the side while Kwang Soo edges close to the Commander’s heaving back, holding out a bottle of water when the violence seems to be reaching an end. Jong Kook accepts it with a nod, turning slowly and leaning against the fence as he takes a hesitant couple of sips.

After a moment to compose himself, he looks back and forth between the two giant wieners huddled together a few steps away, Kwang Soo, and the vehicle parked on the side of the road, and immediately begins firing somewhat slurred, definitely confused questions.

“Where are we? What happened? Am I drunk? Did we break down? Were we going somewhere? Am I drunk? Why did you kiss me? Where were we going? What’s going on? Am I drunk?”

No one says anything.

Jong Kook straightens his back, stepping away from the fence.

Gary nudges Haha forward.

Haha scoots backward.

Gary nudges Haha forward a bit more forcefully.

Haha stumbles and attempts to play it off as a casual, bent over, I really have to poop-style kind of walk and ambles over to Kwang Soo, clinging to the taller man’s arm tightly.

“Did anyone call a… what’s it, the thing? With the car dragger on the butt end?” Jong Kook asks.

He starts to pat his pockets, seemingly oblivious to the odd, silent behavior of his friends.

“I don’t have my phone? Who has my phone? Did you take my phone?” He eyes Kwang Soo accusingly. “Did you kiss me so that you could steal my phone? I’ll _buy_ you a phone, Kwang Soo.”

He rubs his large hands over his entire face clumsily.

“Just give me my phone back, you don’t have to _kiss_ me to get me to take care of things you need, you are a dongsaeng I looooooove.”

“Hyung! No! I didn’t kiss-mug you! And I don’t have your --”

Kwang Soo leaps out of the way as a heavy-lidded Jong Kook launches himself forward on the slurred word “looooooove,” just barely missing being tackled to the ground in an over-aggressive show of drunken affection. His quick-footed dodge leads to Haha hitting the ground instead, the air rushing from his body in an audible FWHOOMP.

“Ah! Dong Hoon! Another dongsaeng I loooooove!” Jong Kook’s beaming smile turns to a terrifying expression of serious accusation in a split second. “Did you steal my phone?”

Haha struggles to breathe under the bulk of the larger man who, while he isn’t _overly_ heavy, is certainly not doing much to support his own body weight at the moment.

“No,” he gasps out. “No, I don’t have your phone. And we don’t need a tow truck.”

“Yes! Tow truck!,” Jong Kook crows triumphantly, rolling to his back on top of Haha and sprawling out comfortably. “That’s what I said. Did you call a tow truck? Did we break down? Am I drunk? Uuwaahh, look at all the stars. Where are we? How did we get here? How did you fit so many stars in that car? Am I drunk?”

Haha is waving his arms and scrabbling his heels fruitlessly against the dusty ground, trying to gain either the attention of the slackjawed fools watching the scene (or, in Gary’s case, surreptitiously filming it on his cell phone) or else purchase against the dirt in order to scoot himself free from his predicament.

Kwang Soo finally snaps out of his trance brought on by being utterly charmed by a drunken Jong Kook and reaches down to give Ha Dong Hoon a hand, eventually wrestling the smaller free from his duties as impromptu roadside pillow. He begins brushing and swatting the dust off Haha’s clothes aggressively, using the slapping noises to cover the sound of his voice coming from the side of his mouth.

“Hyung. Tell him.” He continues to thud his enormous hands up and down Haha’s spine. “Don’t leave him lying there on the ground. This is your show. Come on.”

“Okay. Oof. Stop. I’m going to -- OKAY. STOP HITTING ME.”

“Who is hitting you!” Jong Kook leaps -- or at least, he thinks he leaps -- to his feet, wobbling unsteadily. He whips his head back and forth, seeking the culprit, causing Kwang Soo to rush forward and grab his elbow in support as the move unsteadies him further.

“Who is hitting my Ha Dong Hoonie? Am I drunk? Who hit you, my dongsaeng? You tell Kookie who hit you. I will handle it. Don’t worry, I will make it all better. Kwang Soo! Kiss Dong Hoon!”

Gary no longer knows or cares if his cell camera is picking up the whole scene, as his only concern now is staying upright. He’s bent nearly in half, one hand supporting his weight against the fence, entire face red with the effort of holding in his laughter.

Kwang Soo and Dong Hoon eye each other suspiciously. Kwang Soo shrugs and leans forward, lips puckered, only to meet the flat of Haha’s palm instead of his lips.

“No. No. No. Jong Kook, no one hit me. No one needs to kiss me better. It’s fine. The car isn’t broken down. We’ve brought you to a fortune teller for your birthday!” Haha tries to make that last bit sound especially positive and bright.

Jong Kook frowns. “But I don’t believe in fortune tellers. Why would you get me a fortune teller for my birthday? I don’t even have any space to keep a fortune teller.”

“No, I didn’t _buy_ you a fortune teller. _Look_.” Haha gestures to the small, low house beyond the gate. “We’re _at_ a fortune teller. We brought you here to find out about your soul mate.”

“Haha, it’s nice of you to think of me,” Jong Kook smiles crookedly, slinging a heavy arm over the shorter man’s shoulder. “but soul mates aren’t real. Besides, the stars are plenty. Put them back in the car, let’s go home.”

Gary finally steps forward from where he’s been lurking uselessly in the shadows observing the scene with barely contained glee.

“We’re here now, though, so let’s just go in. What’s the harm? It’s your birthday, hyung, let’s not go home yet. I’m having so much fun.” It’s true -- since murder doesn’t currently seem imminent, the whole scene has become more than a little amusing. Why not stretch it out a few moments longer?

Jong Kook considers this.

“Do fortune tellers have toilets? Guys, I don’t know if you noticed, but I think I’m a little drunk.”

 

* * *

 

After a few minutes of propping, coaxing, and catching, the group makes its way through the gate and down a short flagstone path through a well-kept front yard to the door of the home.

Haha reaches out to knock and the door swings open almost immediately. A nearly totally nondescript woman stands in the entry. She’s of average height for a woman, with dark, straight hair pulled back from her face and falling just past her shoulders. She wears a deep red dress, fitted on the top and flowing loosely from her hips to her bare feet. Her mouth is turned in a welcoming smile. The corners of her eyes angle upward, the sharply evaluating expression the only real notable thing about her.

“Come in. I’m Ji Ji Min,” she says. “Come inside.”

“Let me guess,” Gary says somewhat edgily. “You sensed we were coming? You’ve been expecting us?”

“Well, yes,” Ji Min replies. “You have an appointment.”

“Oh.” Gary deflates.

The crew of three bustles their weaving load further into the small but uncluttered front room. Jong Kook is hazily scanning the room, clearly looking for something.

“Bathroom?,” Haha inquires.

“Right there on the left,” she gestures, and Jong Kook darts away. “Can I pour some tea for everyone?” They mumble their assent as they scan the room.

A table is set back against the wall opposite the door, in front of a large window covered in light, flowing white drapes. It’s flanked by two comfortable arm chairs sitting on a plush throw rug over the smooth planked floor. Ji Min approaches the table and busies herself with the steaming pot and cups that have been awaiting the group’s arrival.

To the left of the entry is the door to the bathroom and a short hallway leading deeper into the house. To the right, a folding paper screen with a light gray abstract pattern resembling feathers blocks off a corner of the room. Kwang Soo peers over it curiously. Behind, there’s a desk with a laptop and a small bookshelf filled with notebooks. Some are newer while some are clearly much, much older.

The rest of the room is very sparsely decorated. A few frames on the larger walls contain black and white scenic photographs, but, much like the woman herself, nothing particularly notable. Two more chairs are paired together in the corner opposite the desk with a small table between them, but other than that, there’s nothing.

Gary leans to Haha to mutter quietly, “This place is pretty short on woo woo, man.”

Haha only shrugs in response as Ji Min turns back around just as Jong Kook exits the bathroom, looking slightly more clear headed.

“Sit down, everyone,” she directs. Surprisingly, not even Jong Kook argues.

Gary and Kwang Soo immediately dart to the two separate chairs off to the side in the corner, leaving Haha and Jong Kook to sit at the table more toward the center of the room. Ji Min carries cups of tea to the two wannabe deserters in the corner before moving to stand in the middle of the room.

“So,” she launches in without preamble. “Ha Dong Hoon called me?”

Haha inches his hand into the air timidly. It’s strange, but something about the angle and expression of her eyes combined with her strong stance gives Ji Min a presence that brooks no tomfoolery.

“Ahh, Mr. Ha. It’s so interesting to see you,” she smiles at him with her lips closed and her eyes crinkling briefly. Haha seems to shrink a little under her gaze, but also blushes a bit. Gary and Kwang Soo look at each other, mouthing “interesting?” with confused looks.

“And you’re Kim Jong Kook.” She directs this to the man himself. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Yes,” he says. “Our car broke down and they can’t get my birthday gift back in the car.”

Gary snickers.

“Drink your tea, Mr. Kim,” Ji Min orders.

He immediately lifts the cup to his lips.

“I’ll give you all,” she glances around, making direct eye contact with everyone. “A quick explanation of who I am and what I do.”

“My name is Ji Ji Min. I’m a fortune teller, but the only area of fortune I’m interested in is that of something called soul mates. You’ve heard of the concept?”

She doesn’t wait for an answer.

“I don’t want to deal with money, I don’t want to have business men traipsing through here wanting to know about their next deal. I don’t want hopeful pop starlets looking at me with their identical big eyes wondering if their big break is going to come. The truth is, of course, that those kind of dreams are often empty and hopeless. I don’t like saying no. I want to say yes to those who come through my door looking for something. My entire family has been the same, for generations now. We don’t like disappointing people.”

Something about her expression makes Kwang Soo shiver a bit.

“Of course, it still happens…” She spins on the ball of her bare foot and begins to pace lightly in front of the table as she explains further.

“But in general, since I deal only with soul mates, I can almost always say yes. ‘Is there someone for me? Is my love out there?’ Yes. Yes. I can say that. Because _everyone_ has a soul mate.”

She spins on her toes again, stopping directly in front of Jong Kook.

“Even you.”

He looks back at her silently, either unwilling or unable to refute what she’s saying.

“I don’t create soul mates. I don’t make the person you want love you. I don’t make people fall in love. But all the women in my family have all been graced with the ability to see and… _lightly_ …,” Here she chuckles softly to herself. “Manipulate something we call the Soul Map. Mostly because that’s what it’s always been called, despite my campaigning for a better name.

She pauses and frowns.

“Anyway,” she moves on. “There’s no point in sitting out here and trying to convince you that soul mates exist or give you any more of an earnest speech about what I can do for you and how I just want to _help the world love_.” She smirks.

“After all, my front room is a little short on woo woo.” She swivels her head and looks directly at Gary, who pulls his snapback down low over his eyes.

“Gentleman, let me take you to the _woo woo_.” She laughs, genuinely, and points at Gary. “I like that. Woo woo. Everyone get up.”

They do.

“Follow me.”

The fall in line, single file, behind Ji Min as she heads toward the short hall on the left. Jong Kook is directly behind Haha, who is in the lead. Haha sucks in his breath as a heavy hand lands on his shoulder and clenches a little too tightly.

“Let’s talk tomorrow, my favorite, favorite dongsaeng,” he hears hissed into his ear.

Oh. So. A sobery kind of tea, then. Haha swallows hard.

Ji Min opens a door at the end of the hall and gestures with her arm for everyone to enter. She follows behind Kwang Soo, bringing up the end.

The room is black, pitch black. Everyone immediately feels unsettled. There’s no way to get a sense of how big or small the space is, it’s too dark. The kind of dark that you never really experience. The area feels at once expansive and claustrophobic.

The men instinctively step closer to Jong Kook. He snorts.

Gary reaches his arm out to feel for the door they just came through, already ready to bail. His fingers find nothing. He stills and keeps this information to himself.

“Here we are!” Ji Min’s voice is coming from farther away than seems possible, considering the size of the house from the outside. “This is where I’ll show you. This is where you’ll find out. Just you, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. This is a birthday gift, right?”

Haha squeaks out something that she takes as an affirmative response.

“What a lovely gift.”

It’s so strange to hear her voice coming from somewhere impossible to pinpoint.

“Like I said, I don’t create love or anything. No one can come in here with a picture of the girl they’ve been creeping on since high school and ask me to make something from nothing. But I can tell you what’s already there. And with that, I can give many lovely gifts. A sense of security. A renewed commitment to a flagging relationship. Hope for the future.”

She’s quiet for a moment.

“And I do all that with this.”

The room immediately fills with a sort of haze, making it even more unsettling if possible. It has no smell or texture. It’s just there. It’s everywhere. It brings an eerie sort of glow to the room, but there are no lights. The light comes from within the mist itself.

They can see each other through it and see Ji Min standing some distance away from them, slightly elevated, as if she’s up on a small pedestal.

She flourishes an arm in the air. “Woo woo!” She laughs aloud and points directly at Gary again.

The haze around them fills with lines that look like strings running around and around and over and through each other all about the space.

Kwang Soo waves his hand in front of his face, watching it pass right through thousands of the delicate threads. He looks down, then up, to see where they start and end and immediately regrets it. Though he _knows_ he’s standing on solid ground, the strings clearly travel down past his feet and way, way above his head, giving the sensation that his body is loose and floating in the haze. He clutches on to Gary tightly, finding that his hyung has his own tight grip on Haha, who has practically crawled inside of Jong Kook’s button down shirt himself.

“Urrrghh.” Jong Kook clutches his stomach. “I don’t know what this is but I know that I hate it.”

“This is the Soul Map.” Ji Min scowls. “Stupid name,” she mutters.

“These strings - these lines - are souls. This is everyone.”

“Everyone?,” Kwang Soo breathes in awe, working up the nerve to pull his face out of Gary’s back. He takes a look around. The room they entered is becoming more comfortable as he adjusts. It’s enormous. It’s not a room. It’s not a defined space of any kind. It’s just a place. It just is. He stops questioning that and lets his mind settle there. It’s easier that way. “Everyone in Korea?”

“No,” Ji Min replies. “This is everyone. These strings are your lives. I can see where everyone is, where they’re going, and where they’ll be. I don’t mean I know when you’re naked -- “ she laughs “ -- but more of an overall view of the paths of everyone’s lives. What twists and turns they’ll take. What other strings they’ll cross and how they interact and interplay.”

“You know,” Gary says, still unable to lift his head and focus on the shifting haze. “It’s 2011. You can probably put all of this on a laptop or tablet or something.”

Ji Min tilts her head back and forth as if considering it. “I suppose. I could probably make a _load_ of money if I sold an app with all of this information. However, the Soul Map runs on a specific sort of energy, and some of my more… determined customers provide that specific currency to keep it going, so it probably wouldn’t work out.”

Gary twists his face up, wondering what the hell is up with this woman. He wasn’t serious.

“Besides that, anyone could look at this map and, given enough time, figure out who was who and going where. A lot of time - a lot - but still. Anyone could, probably. But no one aside from the women in my family can do this.”

She plunges her hand into the mist and touches one tiny strand with accuracy. It immediately becomes distinct from the others, glowing but not lit up brightly.

She draws the string close to her body. The men watch, rapt. She presses her finger to the strand and they all groan and double up, feeling sick and distorted, out of their bodies and confused. They’re both in the hazy space and seeing the hazy space at the same time, dizziness washing over them, their heads feeling too small to hold what’s happening.

Ji Min removes her finger and everything snaps back to normal.

“That’s you, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. That’s your soul, your life.”

“What _happened_?” he gasps, the four of them leaning against each other for support.

“I showed you you. I touched the thread of your life, right here, right at this moment, and we all saw what you see. Of course, you’re all already seeing basically the same thing, so I suppose that wasn’t too kind of me.” She laughs, the trilling sound making it clear that she did exactly what she intended and probably does it often.

“I can do that,” she says. “And, of course, something else that no one else just observing this map can do. Looking here, at your life, and at the ways it’s going and the ways it’s going to go, I can immediately pick out the single other strand among all of these that compliments it perfectly.”

She pauses a moment to let that sink in.

The men are rapt, skepticism gone with the first sickening demonstration. It’s hard to disbelieve someone who has just pulled you out of and thrown you back into your own body.

She continues.

“I don’t know why the world is set up this way, there’s no reason -- well, there probably is, but I wasn’t listening when I was taught and now I’m the only one left so I guess the reason is lost forever because I’m not passing it down, so the new official line is that there’s no reason -- but each one of these strings has exactly one perfect match. They don’t all match the same way, but they all, every one of them, have a perfect match.”

Jong Kook feels his neck getting hot, warmth flushing over his body. As he came out of his drunken state, his irritation with Haha and his accomplices was his main emotion, but he saw no real reason to kick up a fuss. He could understand Haha’s intention, at least, and what was the harm in having a little bit of fun at the end of what had turned out to be kind of a downer of a night?

His birthdays were starting to become a source of dread as each year passed and he was still alone. This was especially true as his closest friends of the same age continued to get married and have kids. He still believes it will happen because it’s what he wants for his life, but this woman seems to be providing confirmation. Comfort and hope, just like she said. His heart starts to thud a little with the possibility of what he might find out tonight, thoughts of punishing the three clowns he came in with slipping away.

He leans forward a little as Ji Min goes on.

“Some pairs look like this.” She pulls out two threads that run so close together they seem like one thicker string. From below their feet to above their heads, the two run alongside each other.

“Others, like this.” Another pair glows softly. One runs by itself straight up and down for a long way before the other careens in from nowhere, the two intersecting far above the group’s heads.

“And still others are even more interesting.” A set close to the cluster of men lights up. The two lines bounce together and apart over and over, getting together and barely touching before veering away, but eventually coming together and streaming out of sight. Ji Min looks directly at Haha for a split second, then speaks again.

“There are just too many -- _too many_ \-- for me to be concerned with each individual pair and each specific person and how the two interact throughout their lives. I honestly don’t know what happens between soul mates. When I was younger, a kid, just learning, I followed a pair or two a little more closely, but,” she flutters her hands dismissively, “I don’t do that anymore.”

“I concentrate on the facts now,” she says. “I’ve got you right here, Mr. Kim Jong Kook.”

She gestures to the string still directly in front of her.

The men say nothing. She could light the space on fire right now and they’d probably just watch it burn.

  
  
  
  



	3. Snapback

_“There are just too many -- too many -- for me to be concerned with each individual pair and each specific person and how the two interact throughout their lives. I honestly don’t know what happens between soul mates. When I was younger, a kid, just learning, I followed a pair or two a little more closely, but,” she flutters her hands dismissively, “I don’t do that anymore.”_

_“I concentrate on the facts now,” she says. “I’ve got you right here, Mr. Kim Jong Kook.”_

_She gestures to the string still directly in front of her._

_The men say nothing. She could light the spaaace on fire right now and they’d probably just watch it burn._

* * *

“Shall I remind you what I do with these?” Ji Min lifts a single finger, extending it toward the string representing Jong Kook’s life.

“No! NO! No!” All four men answer at once, Kwang Soo flailing his arms in the air emphatically.

“Just get on with it, please.” Jong Kook’s jaw is tense, set, and his eyes focus unwaveringly on the plain woman a short distance away.

Ji Min laughs lightly. “All right. All right. Moving on. As I said, while anyone can look at the Soul Map --”

She pauses.

“IT’S A STUPID NAME!,” Kwang Soo cheers enthusiastically.

“Right?!?” Ji Min throws her hands in the air. “I know! Think of all the missed opportunities here.”

“Like the Freak Show?,” Gary mutters under his breath.

Ji Min points directly at Gary, saying nothing, just staring with her oddly cold, evaluating eyes, then laughs suddenly. “Maybe!”

“YAH!” Jong Kook’s fists flex by his side. Haha jumps, then eases away ever so slowly. Jong Kook clamps a hand on the back of his neck and draws him close again, just to remind him.

“OKAY,” scowls Ji Min.

“It is a stupid name, though,” Kwang Soo consoles her.

“Right?,” she whispers, before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. “So, Mr. Kim Jong Kook, here you are, and somewhere out here --” she gestures to the rest of the hazy space “ -- is your perfect match. Your soul mate. The one person created and born specifically for you. And you for that person. As I said, there’s no reason why this way, or maybe there is, I wasn’t --”

“Reminding us about how you’re the D student of fortune tellers isn’t exactly inspiring confidence,” Haha injects.

Jong Kook’s fingers flex on the back of his neck.

Ji Min narrows her eyes, takes a deep breath, and forges on.

“I will tell you now that you’re going to have questions, and I probably won’t have answers. I haven’t looked into you before now, I haven’t done research on your pairing. I didn’t find your thread until you were standing here before me tonight, it’s not possible to do any other way. As you can deduce, it follows that while your match is somewhere in here --“

She gestures again to the millions -- billions -- of strings filling the haze, their true number dizzying to comprehend.

“ -- it’s obviously impossible for me to make that match without having looked over your string first.”

The subject of all the action tonight swallows thickly, his inner thoughts warring with skepticism, hope, and alcohol. What Ji Min’s saying doesn’t seem possible, but after her demonstration earlier, it’s hard to draw the line where possible and impossible divide. Especially with his mind fuzzed by who knows how many drinks. He curses himself silently for the crack in his normally iron will. Birthdays. So maudlin.

He lifts his head to refocus on Ji Ji Min.

“I’m telling you this because I want to make this clear, and I want you -- all of you -- to understand. I don’t know where Mr. Kim’s life has been or where it’s going. I didn’t look. I won’t look. I will not tell you your future. I will look at the twists and turns and curves and bends that this string takes, and, like all women in my family, will be able to instantly find the single other string that pairs with it.”

Here, she makes eye contact with each man individually, holding it for an extra long moment with the oldest. He stares back silently.

“The string I pull out -- the same holds true. I don’t know anything about the person. I don’t know anything about the person.”

“But --” Gary bursts out, then thinks better of it, silencing himself.

“But what?,” Ji Min asks. “Please, go on. While I know this big one over here is about to jump out of his shorts and wring my neck, over time I’ve found that it’s best to get everything laid out and expectations as clear as possible before moving forward.”

“Ah…,” Gary hesitates. “You say you don’t know anything about the people in these strings, but… obviously, that’s not true. I mean, you can just touch them and see their lives. Even if what you can do ends there --” Gary eyes Ji Min and she eyes him right back “-- can’t you just investigate that way? Check things out? Find out who is who and match people up?”

Ji Min laughs, throwing her head back and sounding like a lunatic.

“You suspect I’ve got a lot more woo woo than I’m letting on, Mr. Kang Gary.”

“Ha! You must!” Gary pounces. “I never told you my name!”

Ji Min looks at him like he’s an idiot.

“You’re a celebrity.”

“Oh.”

“Idiot.” She snorts.

“You’re right, though, even if you are an idiot. I could do that. In fact, I said earlier that in the past, I’d even followed the lives of some pairings as they unrolled. I’m not interested in doing that anymore. At all.”

She’s firm.

“But I do have quite a bit more woo woo. Let’s not worry about that today, though. Does everyone understand what I’ve said here?”

“Frankly, no,” Jong Kook says challengingly, his limited supply of patience long since run out. “But do you really expect anyone to understand? This is nuts. Woo woo!”

He throws his arms in the air in a sarcastic Ji Min imitation.

The fortune teller doesn’t respond. She eyes Jong Kook. She eyes the string floating in front of her.

She pauses, still, as if completely frozen.

Then she moves, suddenly and all at once, driving her hand into the haze and yanking it back just as quickly.

A second thread is beside Jong Kook’s in front of her.

The impatient shuffling of the men stops. She has their full attention once again.

Jong Kook’s hand drops from Haha’s neck and the shorter man doesn’t even notice, so intent is he on the scene in front of them.

“This is it,” Ji Min declares. “This is the one.”

“How… how do you know?” Kwang Soo queries, moving up behind his solid friend and draping his arms over the older man’s shoulders. He has a sort of sixth sense for when he’s needed by his friend and it’s proven right once again as Jong Kook leans back against him almost imperceptibly.

“Born this way,” Ji Min shrugs.

The men look at each other. They shrug and turn back to Ji Min.

“Like I showed you before, not ever pair matches up the exact same way -- obviously. Does everyone get where they’re going the same way? Of course not. Some of them go straight --”

She bats her lashes at Gary.

He flushes.

“-- and others bounce around a bit before they land where they’re meant to land.”

She nods to Haha. Jong Kook and Kwang Soo turn and tilt their heads questioningly at him, both at the exact same angle, like a couple of pugs.

He shakes his head and quickly looks away.

“But a match is a match and this is the match.”

She pulls the two softly glowing strings close together in front of her body. Jong Kook looks at his, on his right. It comes up from below where he assumes the floor still is from behind them, at an angle, almost as if it’s being stretched from his proper location. The bottom of the string on the left also approaches from a slight angle, but quickly fades into the mist behind Ji Min.

Jong Kook’s thread is jaggedy to look at. The back and forth movements are at harsh angles, sometimes coming one on top of the other as if the string itself is folded. As it drifts upward, the changes in direction become more spaced out, longer stretches of straight paths unbroken by turns. Eventually, it even looks like the sharp angles start to gentle into softer curves, but even craning his neck back onto his shoulders, he can’t see where it goes or what it does, not that he could interpret any of it anyway.

The other is much different. The string is almost entirely straight at first glance, only closer inspection yielding a view of soft swells and gradual undulations over the visible length. There’s no more information to glean from this one than the one now hovering beside it other than the fact that they don’t seem to be especially similar in any way at all.

“They don’t match.” Jong Kook lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, relief washing through him, followed quickly by an emotion he brushes away quickly without allowing himself to examine it closely, the bitter clench in his stomach too familiar. “They don’t look alike at all.”

“Why would they look alike?,” Ji Min laughs. “Do you think your match is a literal match? A second Mr. Kim Jong Kook running around out there?”

“Heaven save us,” Haha mutters.

Jong Kook’s eyes cut to him quickly, thin lips flattening into an irritated line.

Haha’s suddenly very interested in the strings vanishing down beneath his shoes.

“Watch,” Ji Min says, pulling the strands together.

The two glow just a bit more brightly as they come in contact. Jong Kook’s string and the newcomer’s approach each other from different areas of the hazy spaaace, travelling apart before meeting and almost overlaying one another.

It’s strange and impossible to define in words, but all the men see it the same way. As the two strands come together, they indeed do not form a perfect match in shape and size. However, the way the soft rolls of one fall over and around the severe back and forth movements of the other is mesmerizing.

They don’t look the same, they don’t move in the same directions at all times. They come near and stay close to each other, but not always on the exact same path. They cross here and there, just a bit at first, and then over and over and over, more and more frequently, until above the group’s heads it seems almost as if the two are twined tightly together with the way one weaves in and through and around the other.

It’s not right or sane that there would be no other strings, none at all, not even one, among the innumerable indistinct lines swirling around the small gathering, that matched Jong Kook’s just as well. But right or sane or not, it’s true.

It’s immediately and inescapably clear to all of them that it’s true.

Jong Kook brings his hands up to clutch Kwang Soo’s arms where they fall over his chest and the taller man shuffles half a step closer.

This is insane. This is insane.

“Tchit.”

Jong Kook covers his soft words with a half-hearted fake cough.

“Hm?” Ji Min smiles at him, that closed-lipped, crinkled-eye smile once again.

“Touch it,” he says quietly. “Touch that string, the other one.”

Ji Min follows what he’s saying and obeys instantly. The other three men barely have a split second to brace themselves once they catch on to what’s about to happen, but it’s not as bad this time when she extends a single finger and presses it to the strand before her.

It’s not as bad because they’re not doubling up, being forced to observe the spaaace and time they occupy as they occupy it. Instead, this time, everything is completely different.

There’s still the strange feeling of being inside and outside their bodies at once, but while they still physically feel themselves, the shifting grey air around them is suddenly filled with foreign sights and sounds.

_Someone is screaming. Screaming and screaming. No, that’s not right._

Jong Kook shakes his head to clear it.

 

_Someone is laughing. A woman is laughing. A ridiculous, unselfconscious, loud and sort of embarrassing laugh._

 

His lips twitch slightly. His eyes fall closed reflexively, but the scene continues to play across the inside of his lids.

 

_The world is upside down. The woman is still screaming. Shrieking laughing. The eyes focus, revealing a curtain of light brown hair streaked with blonde whipping around and the back of someone’s shirt._

 

Jong Kook’s mind is working triple speed trying to figure out what he’s seeing. He quickly realizes that, like when Ji Min touched his string and showed him him, shocking them all with a double vision view of their own position, what he’s seeing now is what another person sees. That other person.

Still, even for nonsense, it doesn’t make much sense.

 

_Light-skinned arms are flailing now, and suddenly the bright blue sky rushes by, followed by a thud. The eyes stare up at the sky and then she -- the screaming laugher -- scrambles over onto her stomach and then to her feet, planting a perfectly manicured hand on the ground for support as she does so._

_She’s running, now shrieking for real. Everything is moving too fast to focus, green grass and blue sky whizzing past as she races forward, eyes fixed on a black car a short distance away._

_“WAAAAHHHHAAUUGHH!,” she screams suddenly._

 

All four men jump. Ji Min, too, though she hopes no one notices.

Gary notices.

 

_Her hands fly up and her hair swings forward as her back hunches against water droplets suddenly flying into view from over her shoulders. She keeps running, notably slower now, a jingling sound heard to the left as she pulls keys from her pocket. The car is close now. She looks down at her hand, frantically mashing the unlock button on the key fob, but fails to watch her footing, sprawling out into the grass just a few feet short of the car._

 

Jong Kook feels Kwang Soo’s arms tighten, their grip around his neck becoming a bit uncomfortably snug. The taller man is totally into what’s going on, jaw slightly slack, tensed up as if he’s about to watch the admitted non-virgin of a slasher film be the first to die.

 

_She scrambles up again, flinging her body against the car. She yanks the door open and vaults inside, slamming the door behind her. She whips around to look out the window a split second before it’s covered in a jet of water._

_Then there’s that ridiculous laugh again. Loud and obnoxious and positively gleeful._

_She knocks on the glass with both fists as the water sluices down, revealing the form of a man holding a garden hose and sprayer, the image distorted by the lingering liquid. She waves at him with both hands as he bends over, hands on his knees, panting and catching his breath._

_One of those perfectly manicured fingers depresses the window button, opening it just enough for her hands to squeeze through, and she offers the man a double thumbs up. He raises the hose again threateningly and she hurriedly withdraws her thumbs and turns on the car._

_The radio immediately begins blasting a familiar song._

_She pops off the emergency brake and shifts the cat into reverse. She glances in the rearview mirror quickly -- too quickly._

 

Jong Kook grunts in irritation.

 

_She steps on the brake pedal before rolling backward and knocks on the window again. The man is still standing there and cocks his head. She presses her hand to her lips, makes a kissing sound, and slaps it against the window. He grins and waves her off._

_She leans up to look in the rearview again, brushing her wet hair away from her face. The mirror just catches one eye before she turns to look over her shoulder._

_One eye. One dark green eye._

 

The image of that eye is burned into Jong Kook’s mind as he slowly realizes he’s back where he started. Or that he never actually left. Whichever. The whole thing took less than a minute, but it’s too much information for just a few seconds of time. He’s overwhelmed, he can’t sort through everything he’s seen. Just that eye. That one green eye. Everything else is fading away quickly, the details melting even as he mentally scrabbles and clings and tries to commit them to memory.

He opens his eyes and lifts his head to look around. Gary’s jaw is tight. Haha looks ill. Kwang Soo is still slack jawed and silent.

No one says anything, so Jong Kook speaks up.

“Was that… ?”

“Your soul mate?,” Ji Min fills in for him. “It was. It was her. Pardon me, I’m extrapolating. It seemed like a ‘her’ to me, anyway.”

He falls silent again, staring at the two strands in front of the fortune teller and how they interact. Questions are trying to form, but he can’t quite bring them together. He still doesn’t know if he will, or can, or even wants to accept that what’s happening right now has any connection with reality at all. It’s too scary to contemplate either way, at the moment.

“Why was the sky blue?”

Everyone is snapped out of their private reveries by Gary’s sudden question.

“What do you mean, Hyung?” Kwang Soo turns, yanking Jong Kook by the neck around with him.

“When you --” he points to Ji Ji Min, the two seemingly becoming addicted to pointing at each other. “-- touched his string, we saw right now. If you did the same thing to hers, why was the sky blue?”

Haha catches on, then so does Jong Kook. A cold feeling starts at his fingers and toes and creeps over his body slowly.

“Because the sky is blue, hyung.” Kwang Soo laughs. “It just is. She already said she’s not going to do any woo woo, so don’t expect answers to things like --”

“It’s the middle of the night, Kwang Soo,” Jong Kook says quietly. “It’s the middle of the night, it’s dark. If that was her now, why was it bright daylight?”

“Ahhhhh, so observant!” exclaims Ji Min. “Honestly, I’ve done this so much now I didn’t even think of it.”

She points at Gary, nodding appreciatively. He points back at her. She points with her other hand. So does he.

Stalemate.

They both reluctantly lower their arms.

“But she’s not going to answer questions,” Haha says. He’s been incredibly quiet up to this point. “She’s not going to give us anything extra so let’s not ask for anything extra and let’s just go home now that we’ve seen what we’ve seen, okay?”

The other three eye him incredulously. This was all his idea and now he’s rushing them out the door?

“Relax, Mr. Ha.” Ji Min laughs softly. “Relax. I haven’t brought up anything about the menu of extra options and prices, have I?”

Haha clenches his jaw, staring directly at her.

“Relax,” she commands again, all humor and softness gone from her expression.

Kwang Soo breaks the awkward moment. “So, not getting into specifics or... extras, but… the way this works is that one string meets up with its perfect mate string and that’s that? Happy forever?”

“Everyone is different,” Ji Min reminds him. “The way two strands meet and how they interact -- I only see that here, on the Soul Map.”

“STUPID NAME!,” everyone yells back, in order to keep her from veering off track again.

“RIGHT? I KNOW! Anyway, these are just… strings. They’re faceless, nameless, actionless. I see them turning and twisting and crossing with each other and it’s true that I know which one goes with which other, but the people -- the actual people and thoughts and feelings and real lives being lived attached to each of these…”

She shakes her head.

“Uh uh. Nope. Not interested. So I don’t know the answer to your question based on this aspect of my life. But based on just being a person? A woman? Someone who just lives her own life and observes the lives of others? Of course not, that’s not always how things go. You know that. Of course you know that. Some of us cross paths with a soul mate just once and never again, for example. That’s life. That’s just life. There’s not a lot that can be done about that…  _usually..._ ” she trails off.

Haha huffs air through his nose audibly, backing away from the group.

“But those two.” Kwang Soo points to the two strings Ji Min is now holding, one in each hand, individual again. “They crossed all over each other. They --” he gasps as a door slams, startling them all.

Haha’s gone.

No one notices his absence, though. They’re too busy watching as the strings Ji Min was holding slip out of her hands as she twitches at the sudden sound.

Freed from whatever hold she’s had on them, they snap back to their original locations, still faintly glowing and discernible among the uncountable others.

The slowly fading light illuminating each strand as it snaps back into place also illuminates something else.

The fact that the two strands are nowhere near each other in the suddenly heavy, crushingly heavy air.

They never really cross at all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: 1. WHY IS IT GOING SO SLOW.
> 
> 2\. Someone asked if this is a kooksoo fic. It's not! But if you have favorites, send them to meeeeee. (kooksoo 4ever)
> 
> 3\. I haven't marked the story yet because I don't want anyone to come looking and be disappointed that it's not here, but this will eventually be rated [M] soooo... just thought I'd... let you knooooow.
> 
> 4\. Sorry for all the whiplash you're not getting at the snail's pace of this story. SORRY. STUFF IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
> 
> See you again soon!


	4. WE OBJECT!

_Freed from whatever hold she’s had on them, they snap back to their original locations, still faintly glowing and discernible among the uncountable others._

_The slowly fading light illuminating each strand as it snaps back into place also illuminates something else._

_The fact that the two strands are nowhere near each other in the suddenly heavy, crushingly heavy air._

_They never really cross at all._

 

* * *

“Aaaaaayyyyy!”

Kwang Soo and Gary immediately erupt with objections.

Jong Kook is silent. He chews lightly on one side of his lower lip for a second and then nods, lowering his head.

“Hey. Hey, you.” Gary points at Ji Ji Min. “They’re nowhere near each other. What does that mean? That doesn’t mean anything, right?”

Ji Min hesitates.

Jong Kook takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, tipping his head back to look up into the space where the strings vanish off into nothingness above their heads. He still says nothing, arms hanging limp by his sides.

“Well?,” Kwang Soo prods.

“I just pick out the two that match each other. I don’t…” Ji Min shifts her weight. “I don’t know what will happen to the two people.”

“But does that mean something? You know that without knowing the people, right? You know. You know something. What the hell are we looking at? SAY SOMETHING.” The usually calm and steady Gary’s patience has more than run out. His vision of having a bit of a laugh with some friends is more than long since run out.

The fortune teller still hesitates a bit, but finally supplies the information Jong Kook clearly already suspects.

“Okay. Yes. It means something. It… doesn’t appear as if these two strings ever overlap each other.”

“But… but…,” Kwang Soo stutters, his hands clenching into fists as he takes a step toward Ji Min. “But you just showed us that they cross. They cross a lot.”

“They match each other well, yes, and that’s what it would look like if the two strands met. It’s just that… these two don’t.”

Jong Kook runs both hands over his face, clearing away the last clouding effects of the alcohol he consumed earlier in the evening. He feels like he has whiplash. His friends bring him to a forunte teller, which is clearly a joke, but Ji Ji Min actually seemed to have something about her, something going for her that’s impossible not to believe. But then, just when he gives over to believing and starts to feel the first flutters of hope, it’s all yanked away again. He can’t deny that he expected nothing less, but still, it stings and he’s not entirely sure what to think.

Is everything that seemed so real just a few moments ago now garbage because the answer didn’t go his way? Or is everything even more real now, now that it’s ended in disappointment like every other relationship he’s attempted?

Kwang Soo and Gary are edging up on the fortune teller, words flying, as if they can argue their way out of the situation. Despite his own confused upset, Jong Kook can’t help but be moved by their almost frantic defense against reality.

“So he can go meet her,” Kwang Soo reasons. “He can just go there. Wherever she is, he can go there and then they will meet and --”

“Kwang Soo.” Jong Kook cuts him off.

“This is ridiculous! This woman can’t just wave her woo woo hands around and tell you that she’s got something for you and you can’t have it!” Gary rages. He points at the woo woo woman in question. “Fix this. Do something. Bring that one back over here. Just bring it. Look at it.”

Ji Min is shaking her head in response.

“Don’t shake your head at me! Poke that string again. Go get it and poke it and tell us who and where she is. Tell us now, and we’ll just go get her.” Gary takes a deep breath, ignoring the hand that Jong Kook places on his shoulder though it does serve to calm him down a bit. “Listen, be reasonable. Just point us the right way and we’ll go there and leave here and be out of your hair and everything will be fine. Who is she? Where is she?”

Ji Min shakes her head again. “I told you from the start that you’d probably have questions and I wouldn’t answer them. You all knew that going in to this.”

“But you didn’t say-- !” Kwang Soo cuts himself off this time, jaw working but nothing coming out. His hands clench and unclench as well.

“No, I didn’t lay out every possibility for you. But I also didn’t lay out these strings. I didn’t do this.” Ji Min shrugs helplessly. She looks almost regretful at this turn of events.

Jong Kook shakes his head. “Let’s go.”

“But hyung --” Kwang Soo protests.

“Let’s just go, Kwang Soo.” The older man is still staring back and forth between where the two strings snapped back into their own places.

The haziness surrounding them starts to fade, some of the lost in spaaace effect vanishing. Gary is the first to slam out the door that’s now visible behind them.

Kwang Sook looks back and forth between the fortune teller and where Jong Kook seems to be standing frozen. Jong Kook nods to him, just once, and he heads out the door as well.

Ji Min and Jong Kook look at each other quietly.

“I’m sorry,” she offers emptily.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Jong Kook lets out a short, humorless laugh. “You said yourself that you didn’t do this. You didn’t even bring us here, Haha did. All you did was show off your skills. All you did was dangle something in front of me and yank it away in the next second. That’s not your fault, though, right? She goes her way and I go my way and that’s that.”

He lets out a slow breath.

“Happy endings aren’t for everyone, right?,” he says, almost to himself.

“Well… “ Ji Min’s closed mouth smile is back, the turned up corners of her eyes narrowing in on the man in front of her.

She gives him a minute to continue to absorb all that’s happened.

Still, Jong Kook is lost. A small part of his mind, his heart, is warring desperately back against the thoughts closing in.

“I don’t have to believe any of this.”

“That’s right, you don’t,” Ji Min concedes.

“I don’t have to believe this,” he says again, stronger this time.

“That’s the spirit,” Ji Min chuckles. Jong Kook cuts his eyes to her fiercely.

“Do I have to believe this?,” he asks her, wavering, hating himself for asking, hating himself for the weakness he thinks he can hear in his own voice, or maybe just the weakness he feels inside.

“No, you don’t have to believe anything I’ve shown you tonight. You can go home and go to bed and forget this ever happened. You’re already forgetting her, aren’t you?”

Jong Kook searches his memory, thinking back to what was just a few moments before. The details are already foggy. There was… water? A cat. A black cat. A laugh. A green eye. The more he thinks, the more it slips away. He struggles to hold on to anything, any of it.

“Just let it go if that’s what you want to do,” the fortune teller counsels. “Just let it all go and tomorrow you can just go on with your life as you were before you ever came here.”

He clenches his teeth, at war with himself. It’s so easy now to let it all slide out of his mind, he can feel it all going. By tomorrow, this won’t even be a memory. By tomorrow, this will be nothing. Not even a blip. Not a prediction of his future or his non-future, more like. It’s nothing. It’s nothing. He keeps repeating this to himself as if he can will it to be true. He closes his eyes, watching the last of the scene slip from his mind. It’s rolling back like the waves pull away from the shore, receding into unreachable blackness.

He sighs.

He squares his shoulders and turns to go. His hand is reaching for the knob on the door when he hears Ji Min call out behind him.

“It’s a good match,” she says. “It’s one of the best... maybe  _the_ best I’ve ever seen.”

Jong Kook whips back around.

“Why? Why are you telling me this? Is this fun for you?” His temper is finally boiling over. “Did you get a kick out of all of this tonight? Was that whole big line about wanting to tell people yes just a load of shit? Because I didn’t see anything here tonight but no.”

His eyes are flashing with anger or hurt or some combination of the two.

“I’m telling you because you should know, before you decide anything.”

“Decide anything? Decide anything about what?”

Ji Min shrugs, smiling.

“It’s a good match. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like it, to be honest, and I’m not lying to you when I say I was just as surprised as the rest of you to see that you don’t actually pass through together. I -- I was disappointed, really. When I pulled those two strings together, I could feel them humming, pulling to be near each other.”

“Then why…” Jong Kook looks at her helplessly.

“When there’s only one perfect match for each string, all over, in the whole world, can you be so surprised that they don’t always land together?”

“This isn’t helping anything.” Jong Kook turns away again determinedly, shoving what Ji Min is saying away as he pulls on the door handle.

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Ji Min offers.

Jong Kook stops, door pulled halfway open. He doesn’t turn around, but he’s listening.

“You can believe in this or not, but don’t leave without all the information, Mr. Kim Jong Kook,” Ji Min entices.

He still refuses to turn around, the cold feeling back and tingling at his fingertips.

“I can fix this,” she says. “I can fix this for you.”

Jong Kook hesitates for half a moment, then shakes his head determinedly.

“Send me a bill,” he calls over his shoulder as he exits the room.

“No charge… no charge this time.”

Jong Kook snorts at the idea that there would ever even be a next time, slamming the door behind him, hoping to slam the door on the image of green eyes and a ridiculous laugh, too.

* * *

The now sober and somber party reconvenes in the front room. Haha, having been informed of the outcome by the other two, eyes Jong Kook sadly, unable to even put words to his regret.

“Ahh, Haha,” Jong Kook claps him on the shoulder. “Don’t look so worried. I’m only going to kill you a little, and probably not even tonight.” He smiles widely, trying to let his younger friend know that everything is all right.

“Hyung, I heard what…” Haha stumbles over his words. “I didn’t know. I didn’t even think that… I thought this would be good. I took someone’s word that this was a good idea, and I was wrong. I’m sorry. And these other two -- I told them we were just going to have fun. It’s not their fault at all. I did this, I planned the whole thing. I just really wanted --”

“Haha, don’t worry. Do you think I really believe any of this anyway? You know I don’t believe in fortune tellers, come on.” Jong Kook laughs easily.

Kwang Soo and Gary eye him carefully, looking for any sign of… anything at all in his expression. Finding nothing betraying anything other than the cheerful things he’s saying, they look at each other and shrug.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m exhausted.” Jong Kook heads for the front door. “Let’s get home, I’ll kill Haha another day.”

He heads out the door first, leaving the other three to look after him as he goes.

“It’s a joke, right, Haha?” Gary looks for reassurance. “None of this is real, right?”

But Haha doesn’t answer, only staring regretfully after the man who just left, before shaking himself and following him out. Gary follows after and Kwang Soo brings up the rear, pulling the front door shut.

Just before it closes, Kwang Soo darts back in and reaches around the screen hiding the desk in the corner, grabbing a business card and slipping it into his pocket, then hurries after the others.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter! We start moving forward toward current day in the next. Sorry if it's bumpy, I'm still getting the hang of fiction and trying to convey what I've laid out in my mind in actual words. Maybe it will get better, maybe it won't. We'll see!
> 
> See you again soon!


	5. Time Marches On

**_Spring 2012_ **

Another birthday.

Kim Jong Kook sighs as he closes his apartment door, leaning against it and rubbing his hand over his face.

Another birthday and nothing much has changed since the last one. Still single, still getting older. A night out with friends was a welcome distraction from the melancholy that always sets in at this time of year, but now he’s home alone with time to think.

He enters his bedroom and changes into loose gym shorts and a t-shirt for bed, but going to sleep isn’t appealing yet. He sits on his couch and flips on the television to cover up the still silence that seems extra heavy tonight.

Surfing aimlessly through the channels, he briefly, just briefly, allows his mind to wander back to the events of this night last year.

Much of that evening is lost in a haze of bad memory and alcohol. He doesn’t remember arriving at the fortune teller’s house, but he does remember the exact moment the drunkenness faded away into disbelief. Then the exact moment that disbelief turned to hope. Then the exact moment that hope came crashing down around him.

He doesn’t often let his thoughts drift back to that night, preferring to set it out of mind completely. Most days, it’s easy. If his thoughts head that way, he squashes them down by reminding himself that none of that was real, or fights them back with a quick surge of the bitter anger than filled him on his way out the door that night. But after a blind date leaves him cold or a promising new interest fades out of his life or another holiday passes with no one at his side, he does mentally go back there.

Realistically he knows, or at least he tells himself, that even if what happened that night had the slightest shred of truth to it, it’s not a life sentence of solitude. So what if there’s a perfect match soul mate out there that he’ll never meet? There are plenty of other women he _will_ meet. Pretty women. Smart women. Women who would make good mothers. Who marries the perfect person, anyway? With only _one match_ for everyone in the world, what are the chances that every happy couple is one of those perfect pairings? Slim to none, right? He runs through this line of reasoning so often he knows his own self-comforting thoughts by heart now.

But when yet another one of those smart, pretty, potential mother-type women fails to be someone he can spend the rest of his life with, the image of those two strings overlaying each other comes to mind unbidden. On the worst nights, the hardest nights, it’s all he can think about. What’s the point of trying when no one else out there will equal up to that glowing tangle?

He tries hard to avoid going down this road and for the most part, he’s successful. He’s got great friends and family. His career is going well. He’s busy. Fulfilled.

Tonight, though, thinking of another year gone by, he allows himself to sink back into the couch and sort through what he remembers. The glowing lines, the perfect match. And then… and then what?

He growls in frustration. It’s not that he _wants_ to remember - what would be the point? But he can’t remember. There was a blue sky, he recalls. Or does he? He doesn’t know if he remembers seeing blue sky, or just remembers that Gary brought it up, but it’s a fact lodged in where gaping holes exist in his memory.

“Not in Korea,” he says to himself, for what feels like a thousandth time.

He searches his mind again. Nothing. Nothing. Water? Maybe? Nothing. Even if he wanted to find her, he couldn’t. He knows nothing. Is she even real? Most days he carries on by telling himself she’s not.

He shakes his head and flips the television back off. Standing up, he turns off the lights in the living room and heads into his bedroom. Just as he’s about to settle into bed and put another birthday behind him, his phone lights up and vibrates, indicating a new text message. He picks it up and takes a look.

**Kwang Soo:** Hyung, did you get home okay?  
 **Jong Kook:** I did. Thanks for coming out tonight, I had a good time.  
 **Kwang Soo:** No problem, happy birthday again. Hope it’s a great year for you.

Jong Kook smiles thinking about what a kind and caring heart Kwang Soo has always had. Totally unjaded by his ever-increasing celebrity, always sincere, always available to lend a hand or an ear or a shoulder without questioning or pushing. He reminds himself again how lucky he is in the friend department.

Just as he sets his phone down, it lights up again.

**Kwang Soo:** Are you okay?  
 **Jong Kook:** Of course I am. Why do you ask?  
 **Kwang Soo:** Hyung, do you ever think about last year?

Jong Kook hesitates, knowing exactly what he means but unsure he wants to open the topic. None of them spoke about it again. He didn’t even kill Haha. Not even a little. The matter was just dropped after a long, silent ride back home.

**Jong Kook:** Yes, of course, that’s why I had nothing to drink this year! I missed the gym for two days with that hangover.

He deliberately misses the point, leaving it up to Kwang Soo to drop the matter.

**Kwang Soo:** You know that’s not what I mean.

Jong Kook sighs, staring up at his ceiling in the dark. Instantly, he can visualize those two strings floating in the air in front of him, crossing over and winding around each other.

**Jong Kook:** Sometimes, but I don’t really remember much. Nothing at all, really.

He types another message, hesitates briefly, then pushes send before he can change his mind.

**Jong Kook:** Do you remember anything?  
 **Kwang Soo:** I remember everything up until she touched that string. I know we saw something, but most of the details are gone. I remember a car and music playing.

An image of a black car with the radio blaring suddenly shakes itself free and drifts to the surface of Jong Kook’s mind. He sucks his breath in with shock. It’s so clear. It’s _so_ clear he doesn’t know how he forgot the black car in the first place. It’s right there, in his memory, in crystal clear high definition. How had he forgotten? How had he forgotten something that’s so sharp in his mind now?

He can’t stop himself now, birthday feelings overcoming the good sense that is sure to take over in the morning.

**Jong Kook:** What else?  
 **Kwang Soo:** Nothing, really. Madonna.   
**Jong Kook:** Madonna?  
 **Kwang Soo:** Yeah, hyung. It was a Madonna song. You know, Vogue.

The image in the older man’s mind sharpens even more. Of course it was a Madonna song. Of course it was. He knew that. Did he know that? Yes, he knew that. He laughs softly, knowing that on his end, Kwang Soo is Vogue-ing by himself as if it would help get his point across through the phone.

**Kwang Soo:** Do you ever think about going back?  
 **Jong Kook:** No, of course not. Why? You know none of that was real. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to get back if I even wanted to.  
 **Kwang Soo:** I guess not. Dumb idea.

Jong Kook’s eyes are heavy now and he sets his phone down. He rolls onto his side and lets his eyes drop closed. Before he drifts off, he thinks about this new information from Kwang Soo and how it brought shreds of memory and images back like they’d never been gone. He puts the pieces together as his mind slowly shuts down for the night.

Blue sky. Black car. Madonna song. Not Korea. America?

He gives his head one last shake to clear it, vowing again to be done with these thoughts, for real this time. Another birthday over, a new year starting. He doesn’t need a fortune teller, he doesn’t need these foggy memories. He doesn’t need any of this, because none of it was real.

None of it was real.

He finally falls asleep, repeating that line to himself.

In the morning, he stretches, refreshed and ready for the gym, congratulating himself on his decision not to drink on his birthday this year. The last bits of his dream fade from his mind as he rolls out of bed, dark green eyes and a loud laugh disappearing from his consciousness before he even really grasps that they were there.

As he packs his bag for the gym, he notices the notification indicator flashing on his phone and takes a quick look.

**Kwang Soo:** If you ever change your mind, I know where the house is.

_Delete._

 


	6. You're WHAT?

**_Summer 2012_ **

All around the table where the Running Men are gathered, jaws are hanging open with shock.

Gary is the first to pull himself together.

“You’re _what_? Say that again?”

“I’m getting married,” Haha replies, a wide smile threatening to crack his face in half.

It doesn’t sound any more sane the second time.

“What -- when -- how --,” Kwang Soo stutters.

“I think what Kwang Soo means,” Suk Jin supplies helpfully, “is ‘isn’t this sudden?’”

“I think what they _both_ mean is CONGRATULATIONS, Haha!” Ji Hyo breaks in. “Tell us more.”

Haha’s glee can barely be contained. “It’s not sudden, really. Byul and I have been seeing each other for quite a while now.”

One man is conspicuously silent, looking down at his half-empty plate, normally healthy appetite all but vanished. He tries to swallow, but his throat is suddenly tight and dry. He wants to say something to his friend, offer congratulations and best wishes, but his tongue feels huge in his mouth, cutting off his air supply and ability to say anything at all.

“Byul! REALLY!” Gary is incredulous. “I don’t even believe you. That woman spent years refusing to give you the time of day.”

“It’s true!,” Haha rasps. “I’ve known Byul was the woman for me for a long time now, and even through all these years, I couldn’t give up. And finally, _finally_ , she’s agreed to marry me. I can’t even believe it myself most days, considering how many times she’s shot me down in the past.”

“Uuuuwaaahh, Byul. Nicely done, hyung!” Kwang Soo finally has his mouth back under control. “I never thought you’d be the one I’d ask, but you’re going to have to teach me your ways.”

“Well, I had a little help,” Haha admits. “From Byul herself. She says she always knew we’d end up together.” His eyes flicker over Gary and Kwang Soo briefly, landing on Jong Kook before he quickly looks away. “And that let her be patient in waiting for me to grow up to be a man. I wish I knew what she knew when I was crying into my beer so many nights, but here we are now.”

Jong Kook stands up suddenly, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. He looks around, almost as if he’s just as startled at his action as they are. He slides his eyes over the table, grabbing his glass of water and lifting it in the air.

“To Haha and Byul,” he says, forcing a bright smile.

“Haha and Byul!,” everyone choruses in response, lifting their own glasses to the center of the table and then beginning to excitedly talk over one another, demanding more details from Haha about his secret love.

Jong Kook slips almost unnoticed out the side door of the restaurant, leaning his back against the wall in an alley lit only by one dim bulb. He takes a deep breath and then another, feeling choked and panicky. How? _How_? How is his dongsaeng getting married so suddenly? How has he kept this relationship hidden for so long? How is he… so _happy_?

Ji Hyo slips silently out the side door to join him, handing him a fresh bottle of water from which he gulps gratefully. She stands beside him in silence, waiting patiently.

The quiet stretches out for some time before he speaks.

“I can’t believe it. Wow. Good for Haha.”

“Really?,” Ji Hyo questions. “Is that your real reaction?”

“Of course I’m happy for my dongsaeng. I’m a little hurt that he kept all of it a secret, but of course I’m happy for him. Good for Haha,” he finishes, more firmly this time.

Ji Hyo still waits, no reply forthcoming.

“I just…,” Jong Kook eventually continues. “I just… why?,” he asks, almost plaintively. He hates the sound of his own voice, hates himself for not being able to be fully thrilled for his dear friend.

“Your turn will come,” Ji Hyo consoles. “It will. I mean, Haha is getting married. Of course your turn will come.”

“Will it? I used to think so, but now…”

“Gary told me about your birthday last year,” Ji Hyo offers tentatively.

Jong Kook takes another swig from the bottle of water, glaring at her as he does so.

“Just listen to me,” she hurriedly goes on. “I laughed at him at first. It’s an unbelievable story. Soul mates? Strings? Visions of a woman with perfect fingernails and light brown hair? It sounds more like a shared hallucination than anything else. I almost wanted to ask him if he was sure you all didn’t fall victim to a gas leak or something.”

Jong Kook is only half listening.  Light brown hair streaked with blonde swinging around an upside down view. A perfect manicure on a hand planted flat in the green grass. The silent, seconds-long images repeat over and over in his mind like they’d always been there. The same cold feeling from a year before washes over his body and he shivers.

“But… he was so convinced. It was _so real_ to him, the more he talked about it, the more convinced I became, too,” Ji Hyo finishes.

He tightens his jaw. “What’s your point?”

“Do you think… you should go back?”

“If Gary told you what happened, then you know there’s no point in going back. If you don’t believe it’s real -- which it’s _not_ \-- then it was just a dumb evening spent doing dumb things. And if you _do_ believe it’s real -- which it’s _not_ \-- then why walk back in there to be reminded that there’s apparently someone out there who’s perfect for me, but I’ll never meet her?”

“Hyung.” Haha had slipped outside without their notice.

Jong Kook slaps his grin back in place. “Hey, congratulations, friend. I don’t know how you did it, but you seem really happy. Good for you. Wow.” He shakes his head, taking another sip of water. “Wow.”

“Hyung… Ji Hyo is right. Why don’t you think about going back?”

Jong Kook snorts, turning his face away as his jaw works tensely. It’s bruising enough that Haha kept a relationship from him and is now headed to the altar, seemingly blissful with everything Jong Kook has ever wanted for himself. Which isn’t much, he tells himself sourly.  But now, on top of everything, his friends are trying to send him back to the woo woo woman. Out of what, pity? He’s fine. He’s _fine_.

“Dong Hoon,” he forces a light laugh. “Let’s not make this a yearly tradition, the sad single guy’s trip to the mysterious rip off artist. Let’s talk about you! This is your day, your news. You’ve been keeping secrets!” He jokingly aims a pulled punch at Haha’s midsection, trying to play off his own warring feelings.

“It was Byul,” Haha says suddenly. “Go Eun. She’s the one who told me to go there.”

Jong Kook freezes, water bottle halfway to his mouth.

“She didn’t tell me it was possible for it to go the way it ended up going,” Haha assures his friend. “But she told me that we could go there to find out about your soul mate.”

“And you _believed_ her?,” Jong Kook asks, cold feeling tingling in his fingers.

“Yes. I did. I believed her because she believed in me. Come on, hyung, you and I both know that there’s no reason for a woman like Go Eun to be with a childish screw up like me.”

“Haha, come on, you’re a great --”

Both men cut Ji Hyo off with a sharp look and she falls silent again.

“But it turned out she knew we would end up together. She knew we would end up together _long_ before I ever believed I could ever have her for my own. She knew because Ji Ji Min told her.”

Jong Kook tightens and loosens his fists over and over again, eyes narrowed at Haha, quick mind whirring.

Haha eyes those clenching fists warily, cursing himself for going down this path again with Jong Kook, but knowing he has to get all the whole story for his hurt friend.

“Wait.” Both men had forgotten Ji Hyo was there, and her words startle them. “Gary said this woman can’t or won’t provide specifics. So how did she tell Byul she’d end up with you?”

“Weeellllll,” Haha hedges. “She actually can do more than what we saw that night. I don’t know exactly what!,” he says, holding his hands up in front of himself defensively. “But Go Eun says she has a sort of… extra menu. Things she can offer to do. But they’re expensive. And not _money_ expensive. I asked her what she meant, but she just shook her head and said that hopefully, we wouldn’t need to find out.”

Haha looks at his longtime friend, who is looking at the ground.

“Maybe you should find out, hyung.”

Jong Kook lifts his head and he and Haha stare into each other’s eyes, communicating silently.

Dong Hoon hates that his good news has left his friend’s feelings so raw and exposed. He can practically feel the hurt, disappointment, and distress radiating off the larger man’s body.  When he proposed to Byul and she accepted, his initial high was short-lived, knowing that he’d have to tell his friends that he’d been hiding something from them. Jong Kook’s reaction was an especially big worry, as even his fans know the man’s desire to settle down and get married sooner rather than later. Then, when she filled him in on how she’d known all along that they’d end up together, Haha knew he had to make one more stab at getting the Commander and the weird fortune teller back together, even if it meant risking his own life and limb, which he really feels like he is right now.

Haha swallows hard, breaking the eye contact first. He has no idea if he’s doing the right thing, the wrong thing, or even jeopardizing one of his closest friendships even further.

Ji Hyo breaks the tension. “How long have you been seeing a woman behind our backs, Haha oppa?,” she demands playfully.

The shorter man turns to her with a grateful smile, opening his mouth to answer as Jong Kook brushes past him and back inside the building. His words die on his tongue as he and Ji Hyo both watch him go.

Back inside, Jong Kook walks directly back to the table, his eyes focused on one person in particular, ignoring a couple of voices asking him where he’d gotten off to.

“Kwang Soo,” he says low as he arrives at the giraffe’s side. “Give me the address.”


	7. The Return

He almost turns around three, four, five or more times before he pulls up in front of the small house set back from the road. Dark has fully fallen as he parks his car near the two dim electric lanterns framing the gate.

Turning off the car, he hesitates one more time.

_What am I doing? This is stupid. This is so stupid._

He turns the car back on, then off again.

_I’m just going to go **see**. Just going to go see now that I’m sober. I’m just going to see if my memories match up with reality. I’m going to go in, take a look around, and then leave. It’s not crazy just to go **see**._

Reassuring himself that there’s nothing wrong with refreshing his memory about what went on last year, he exits the car and pushes through the wrought iron gate. He’s down the path and at the front door in a few strides, lifting his hand to knock before he can second guess (third, fourth) guess himself again.

After a few moments, the door swings open to reveal Ji Ji Min. She’s nothing like he remembers, but then, he didn’t really remember her at all. There’s something strange about how utterly unremarkable she is. He realizes he could pass her on the street three times a week and never register her presence, even having met her before.

She smiles in greeting. “Mr. Kim Jong Kook. Right on time.” She stands back, pulling the door wide and allowing him to enter the front room.

He swivels his head around, noting that everything looks exactly the same as when he marched out the door over a year ago, biting back bitter anger. The same feelings tug at him, threatening to pull him down and weaken him to the fortune teller’s potential offerings. He forces a cough and shoves the feelings down, turning to look at Ji Min.

“Right on time? I didn’t make an appointment.”

“I knew you’d come.”

“Oh? I thought you didn’t do stuff like that, predictions of the future and the specifics of someone’s life. So how did you know I’d be here tonight?”

He finds himself very invested in her answer, mind already spinning to work out exactly what the plain woman is capable of and how it might benefit him.

"It wasn’t so much a prediction as it was… well. I knew you’d be back. Look, I'm going for a certain aura here, so stop wrecking it.” Ji Min smiles the creepy close-lipped smile at him, an expression Jong Kook had forgotten until right this second. He shivers lightly.

“I actually expected you much sooner,” she admits. “Did you bring anyone with you?” She peers around his broad shoulders expectantly.

“No. I’m alone.”

He immediately regrets his choice of words, feeling as though he might have shown his cards before he’s ready.

She deflates ever so slightly before sliding her smile back into place. “Oh. Well. That’s good, we have some things to talk about and no distractions are needed.”

“What could we possibly have to talk about?” He doesn’t know why, but his hackles are raised and he feels defensive.

“Mr. Kim, let’s not play around here,” she says, rolling her eyes as she heads down the short hallway to the left. “You came to me. You know why you came back to me. Let’s be upfront with each other and discuss what you’re looking for and what I have to offer.”

He doesn’t respond, trailing behind her. She’s right. He came back to her, he wasn’t forced here. While he’s not sure exactly what he’s looking for or hoping for with this visit, there’s nothing to be gained by denying - to her or to himself - that he’s interested in hearing more than he heard last year.

He passes through the door at the end of the hall that Ji Min is holding open for him, surprised all over again at the utter blackness surrounding them once she closes it behind herself. He feels her brush past him as the haze begins to fill the room, billions of strands illuminating the expansive space dimly. Ji Min is standing several large paces away, slightly elevated. Jong Kook feels a huge wave of deja vu crash over him, bringing with it a rapid progression of disbelief, hope, and disappointment in the same order he felt them last year.

He looks around the space slowly and silently, trying to sort out his feelings and why he’s here. After all, he’s spent more than a year convincing himself that nothing significant happened here, nothing the fortune teller said was true, that she was just talented with some sort of trickery designed to prey on the weak and foolish. He strives very hard to be neither, so the pangs that occasionally wake him up in the night, the longing for something that he was allowed to imagine he’d get to have, have been unpleasant and unwanted.

So why come back? Why refresh everything and put himself through the same process of self-flagellation, self-consolation, and the almost self-hypnotism required to set it all aside all over again?

The night’s been hard. Finding out Haha was dating someone for so long without confiding in him stung. Then to find out he’s getting married as well… Jong Kook thinks back to that moment, how his ears roared and his vision tunneled and all he could think about was getting up and away from the table, away from what he imagined to be everyone’s sympathetic glances, and away from Haha. He cringes even now, almost sick with his own selfishness, his inability to just be happy for his friend and nothing more.

But how many more people will go before him? How many more years will he wait, attending the weddings of friends and colleagues, not only miles away from his own happy ending, but with Kwang Soo as a date instead of a potential lifetime love? All this rushed through his mind as he leaned against the wall outside the restaurant, bitterness and self-recrimination tangled together. His throat burned and his stomach clenched. And there, niggling at the corner of his mind, was a black car. Light brown hair streaked with blonde. A Madonna song. He shoved it back and shoved it back and shoved it back, but… it shoved back. It shoved back when Ji Hyo came out to talk and shoved back when Haha appeared, and then when Haha revealed that it was his fiancee who sent them to Ji Min in the first place and not only that, but also that his fiancee did so because she was so confident in the fortune teller’s abilities that she was _marrying_ Haha, it all leapt right to the forefront of his mind again.

If it’s real… if there’s even a _chance_ that it’s real… Everything he could remember whirred through his mind over and over, whipping through at top speed. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Kwang Soo.

If there’s a chance… if there’s even a _chance_ … he shakes his head to clear it, seeing Ji Ji Min standing before him, waiting patiently. She smiles when his eyes refocus on her.

“So you’re back again,” she says. “I’ve thought about you a lot in the last year or so. I hope you know I’m truly sorry about the way that all played out.”

The odd smile belies her words, just a bit.

“But let’s put all that behind us for good. You’re here now. Let’s talk about that.”

Jong Kook notices two lines slowly starting to brighten among the rest of them, or maybe the billions of others are dimming slightly. It’s hard to say. But whatever the case, one line off to his right and one line back behind Ji Min make themselves more apparent than the rest. His chest tightens as he remembers what the second line represents and Ji Min manipulates the space somehow to pull the two lines in front of her, between them. Now that he’s paying attention and knows what to look for, he can see that what she said a year ago is true. The two lines are vibrating ever so slightly. While they’re drawn together by Ji Min’s hands, the more they near each other, the more they seem to be pulling themselves closer, independent of her ministrations.

He swallows as he watches them. It’s easy to imagine that they’re yearning to be together. He can feel the same ball of confused emotion in his own chest. He shakes his head firmly, trying to clear it of the strange feelings he’s feeling for a person he’s tried so hard to convince himself isn’t even real.

“So that’s… “

“Yes,” the fortune teller supplies. “The same person as before. It doesn’t change. At least, I’ve never seen it change.”

“What it one of the pair dies before they ever meet?”

She shrugs. “That’s life. But keep in mind that most people, even if they say they believe in the concept of soul mates, don’t _really_ believe it. Hardly anyone sits at home worrying that their one perfect person was born on the other side of the world or never made it out of childhood due to some accident or illness. They just assume they’ll meet the perfect person and when they find someone they want to be with forever, they apply the label of soul mate to that person retroactively. And that’s fine. Think of the distress and upset if everyone knew that soul mates are in fact very real and that there’s no guarantee at all of you ending up with that person.”

Jong Kook rolls his eyes and smiles tightly.

“I guess you don’t have to think very hard to understand how that feels,” she concedes. “But the point is that very few people are aware of me and my services and those who aren’t continue through life just fine. They meet people, they have relationships, they get married, they have children. Never knowing that the person they’re with, the person they love, the person they can’t imagine their life without, never know _that_ person isn’t _the_ person. And out of the vast number of people who have never met me and never learned of what I can offer, how many are truly miserable? Think of all the successful and happy relationships you know of. Some of them are with their soul mates naturally, of course, but many aren’t. Many are just with _someone_. Can you tell the difference? Probably not.”

“So it’s possible, then, that I don’t really need to meet this match to meet someone,” Jong Kook confirms what he’s been telling himself for a year.

“Oh, sure,” Ji Min allows. “Everyone meets and interacts will all different kinds of people throughout their lives, romantic interests included. But once you’re aware that _the_ person is out there, it’s kind of hard to imagine anything less, isn’t it?” She smiles knowingly. Creepily.

Jong Kook grimaces as he thinks back on his dating efforts over the last year. Pretty woman. Smart women. Women who would make good mothers. But all the while, at the back of his mind, he _knew_ there was someone more perfect out there, no matter how he tried to talk himself out of it or slap the feeling away. In truth, it’s been more than a little hard to put a full measure of effort into meeting new women, knowing that the _one_ woman for him isn’t coming.

 

“Is she… whoever she is… does she know about me?”

“I’ve never met her, so I assume not. My family _is_ the only one who can do anything like this. You’re a celebrity, though, so why wouldn’t she know who you are, at least?”

“Blue sky,” Jong Kook reminds her.

“Hm?”

“When we looked at her, the sky was blue. It was late at night here in Korea. So she lives somewhere where it’s day when it’s night here. She doesn’t know who I am. She has no idea I exist.” His tone is flat.

“You sound so defeated before we even get started, Mr. Kim. You know you’re here to find out what I can do for you, so why don’t you save the sad sack act for now? Let’s move on. Shall we take a peek at our friend here again?” She extends a single finger as she asks.

Jong Kook nods before he can stop himself. He just wants to see. He can forget after. He can make himself forget after.

Ji Min pushes her finger into the gently undulating string and the hazy gray room whooshes away.

 

_It’s dark and there’s a sound of water rushing all around. Music bangs in the background._

 

Jong Kook focuses hard, determined not to miss a detail this time. Music… music… what is that? He struggles to place the tune over the sound of the rushing water.

 

_The water is abruptly cut off with a squeak. It’s suddenly light as two hands push upwards and back over the face and eyes._

 

He shakes himself, disoriented with the sensation of seeing but not feeling.

 

_Everything to the front and right is white. A pale arm covered in water droplets reaches to the left and yanks back a dark blue curtain to reveal a room filled with steam. The mirror directly across the way reveals a vague shape through its coating of fog. The arm reaches again for a blue towel hung nearby. She steps out of the shower and stands in front of the sink, reaching her hand out to wipe away the steam on the mirror. Green eyes are revealed, then --_

 

Jong Kook gasps as the scene is cut off suddenly, Ji Min replacing it in his line of sight.

“Let’s just give her a minute, shall we?” She laughs.

Jong Kook flushes, his cheeks hot.

“Ahhh, cute,” Ji Min teases.

He scowls and looks away, schooling his expression back into a blank mask.

“I heard Mr. Ha is getting married. Is that why you’re here?”

“Even _you_ knew?”

“I always knew. Again, isn’t that why you’re here?”

“How did you know?” He ignores her questions. “Byul came to you, right? What did you tell her? What did you do for her?”

“Mr. Kim Jong Kook, I know you’ll appreciate the fact that I respect my customer’s privacy. I can’t tell you any specifics about that couple, the same way I would never tell anyone about what I’m going to do for you.”

“I haven’t agreed to _anything_.” He narrows his eyes, uneasy suspicion about what hides behind the woman’s plain and unassuming facade.

“Of course. Of course. I’m sorry to rush you. Shall we take another peek, or are you ready to proceed now?”

He’s silent, shifting his eyes back and forth.

“Another look it is.” She laughs softly, pressing her finger to the string again.

 

_“Yow! Ahh ahh ahh yowwoooowwww!”_

  _She’s in a bedroom now, sitting at a beautiful vanity covered in a huge assortment of makeup, perfume, and hair products. She’s frustratingly angled away from the mirror, looking down at the long, light brown hair streaked with blonde that’s pulled over her shoulder as she tries to yank a brush through it._

  _“What are you doing in there?”_

  _A man’s voice. Jong Kook stiffens._

  _“Brushing my hair! This is ridiculous, I think it’s down to my butt. I can’t wait til my appointment tomorrow. Say goodbye to all this hair because I am dooooone.”_

 

Her voice. _Her voice_. A smile touches the corners of his lips.

 

_She stands and flings the offending hair back over her shoulder, then reaches down and tightens the belt on her pink robe. She exits the bedroom, padding down a short hallway on bare feet. The walls are white, the carpet is beige. At the end of the hall, a large framed picture hangs, now-familiar green eyes peering over an enormous bouquet of wildflowers clutched in her hands._

  _She turns to some stairs, bounding down them in a bouncing manner. At the bottom, she passes quickly through a room, looking down at her hands and rubbing at a chip in purple nail polish. She enters a small kitchen and goes right to the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of water and then a cup from a nearby cabinet._

 

Nothing is happening, but Jong Kook is entranced, breathing so shallowly he’s almost stopped.

 

_“What are you up to?,” she calls over her shoulder to someone unseen._

  _“Playing COD with Shepard.”_

  _“Oh, how is he?” She adds ice to her cup from the freezer._

  _“Good. They’re at Incilkirk.”_

  _“Oooh, fun.” She flops down on the couch, leaning her back against someone._

 

The sound of a kiss press to her temple echoes through Jong Kook’s mind like a gunshot as the scene fades around them.

"Well,” Ji Min says after a moment. “Thoughts?”

“She’s American,” he replies.

“I caution you against assuming anything, but I’ll agree, that does seem to be true from the speed-English she was speaking. Or Canadian. She could be Canadian! A very polite people, you know.”

Jong Kook lifts a shoulder in a shrug, something else more important demanding his attention.

“She’s with someone.”

“Again, assuming. But I did tell you that people form relationships independent of who they match up with in here, so that shouldn’t be surprising.”

“But she’s _with_ someone. How can you do anything for me if she’s already involved with someone?”

“Well, now that you ask, I can --”

Jong Kook cuts her off impatiently.

“Can you show me whether or not _I_ end up with someone else? Can you do that?”

“I already looked,” Ji Min admits. “I was certain you’d be back, but as time passed and you didn’t appear, I got curious. So I looked.”

She doesn’t say more.

“And… ?” Asking is stupid. He already knows what she saw. He just needs to hear it.

“Some other strings of souls do pass near yours at times, yes.”

“They _pass_? At _times_?”

“Not everyone pairs off. You know this.” She’s firm, but is looking slightly over his shoulder instead of directly at him, as if reluctant to make eye contact.

“I… I don’t…” He feels like his chest is being crushed in a vise. He can’t speak. He can’t breathe. He can’t form a full thought. His ears are roaring. How can this be? At his lowest times, he's suspected as much, but... It’s not possible. It’s not. How can he keep stepping forward into each day with this new information?

“I can help you, Mr. Kim,” the fortune teller calls, her voice faint over the rushing sounds in his ears. He hears her, dim hope flickering within him as he forces his attention back to her.

“I don’t understand,” he says. “She’s _with_ someone. What can you possibly do for me? What? You said last time you don’t make people fall in love. And setting aside the blatant road block of the fact that she’s already in a relationship, she’s not even in Korea. What can you possibly do to help me?”

The fortune teller releases the strings, allowing them to fall back to their natural locations, far from each other.

His heart squeezes again as he watches them drift apart. A tiny corner of his mind still screams out at this ridiculousness. Feeling legitimate pain over a person he’s never met - a person who isn’t even a _person_ , but just a _string_ floating in a weird woman’s back room - it’s not right. That corner of his mind calls out to him, begs him to drop all this and walk out.

The other strands floating loosely around the room seem to fade even further, the ones representing Kim Jong Kook and the woman standing out brightly.

“I can do this.” Ji Min steps off whatever is elevating her slightly and walks toward the far string, behind her original position.

Jong Kook watches, holding his breath.

She approaches the strand and eyes it carefully, seemingly evaluating it for something. After a silent moment, she reaches out to it at a point slightly above her head and grabs it roughly.

A quick twist of her wrist and the strand is no longer travelling from beneath their feet through the ceiling above them. It’s falling, falling across the space like a giant tree cut down. It rushes across the darkened space, tipping right toward the only other string glowing as brightly.

Jong Kook watches as the two thin threads, formerly so far apart, approach each other. The broken string barrels towards his and finally reaches it. His eyes are stretched to their widest when, immediately on contact, the second string straightens up from the point where it meets his, its soft swells and rolls pairing perfectly against his own jaggedy strand. The two then wind together, his pulling hers in as if they were always together, oblivious of the fact that one originates from far away.

He’s frozen in shock. “What is that?,” he demands. “What are you doing?”

“I broke it,” she says simply.

He waits, fingertips tingling, cold feeling creeping up his arms and through his chest.

“I broke hers and yours pulled it in.”

“You broke her _what_?”

“Her path. I chose a point in the path of her life and altered that moment, unmooring the soul from its locked in fate. From there, it was free to go where it wanted. And look where it went.”

The two both stare at the intertwined pair, shining almost white in the dark.

“So… we’d meet.”

“In your case, it’s fairly clear that you’d do more than just meet.”

He nods slowly, understanding the repeated crossings and weavings of the two.

“And this costs… a lot, right? How would I pay for something like this?” The suspicious part of his mind is getting smaller and smaller, his heart feeling almost physically pulled toward the fortune teller and her promised abilities.

She smiles, tilting her head slightly. “It’s not free, no. But it probably costs much less than you’re imagining.”

Internally, he snorts, finding that hard to believe.

“If you agree to this… _procedure_ … and allow me to choose and appropriate spot to change the course of your soul mate’s life, you’ll already have satisfied the price. After that, you just need to meet one condition, and that’s all.”

“That’s _all_? What do you get out of this that I don’t need to actually pay you anything? And what’s the condition?”

He can’t deny that despite the seriously high level of creeped out he has going on, he’s nearly ready to pay.

“I get something I need to be able to continue to offer the services I offer,” she says vaguely. “You don’t have to do anything active to make the payment, that’s true. And the condition… a simple agreement. Something small you’d need to do in order to ensure the firmness and permanency of your match connection. So when you think about it, the condition is actually something you’d be doing for _yourself_.”

She’s talking him in a circle, saying many words but not actually _saying_ anything.

“And what happens to her? The woman with the green eyes, I mean?”

“She comes to you,” Ji Min says simply.

“But when you do that… when you break it, I mean. What _happens_ to her?” He knows there’s nothing simple about what’s being offered, but this whole thing is so far _out there_ that he can’t even begin to imagine what she’d get or ask for.

“Her life takes a turn that it otherwise wouldn’t have taken if I left her alone. We all have these crossroads in our lives, moments where one decision versus another mean a completely different outcome. If you’re not aware that your life is travelling on a path --” she gestures to the strands she handles so effortlessly “-- you wouldn’t know the difference at all if one moment, one _single_ moment, is going to change everything forever. We all take twists and turns in our lives. I’d just be selectively adding one more turn to hers. And that turn brings her to you.”

Jong Kook weighs this new information. He _knows_ it can’t be as straightforward as she’s making it out to be.

But at the same time… they’re soul mates. They’re a perfect match. Why _shouldn’t_ they run into each other in this way? It’d be for the benefit of both of them.

He thinks back to his first visit. That outrageous, boisterous laughter of a happy woman. And today’s vision -- her chatting with and leaning up against a man, one who isn’t him.

“Well?,” Ji Min inquires. “Do you want to do this? Do you want to break her life to bring it into your own?”

That word, “break,” cuts through his consciousness like a knife, shaking him loose from an almost trance like cold water thrown over his body.

Break. Breaking. Broken.

The fortune teller’s lips press together, her eyes narrowing, knowing she’s lost him.

“No,” he whispers. Then more loudly, “No. No. I can’t do that to another person.”

He straightens his shoulders and turns away with resolve, sharp bitterness clawing in his throat. The haze fades, the strands fade, and the darkness of the room recedes, lighting his path to the door.

He marches through without looking back.

“Next time, then, Mr. Kim Jong Kook,” the plain woman says softly to herself, a smile stretching slowly across her lips.

 

 

 


	8. Rerevist

**_Late fall, 2012_ **

 

Haha’s wedding. Haha’s _wedding_. Kim Jong Kook still can’t believe this is happening. He’s at _Haha’s wedding_.

The atmosphere is lively and fun and happy, the hall overflowing with celebrities and family and friends. Jong Kook keeps an easy smile on his lips as he interacts with his Running Man castmates and others in the industry.

“Of course, at first, I felt betrayed,” he tells the rest of his table, and shrugs. “All of the single guys on Running Man, we’ve all spent time together and talked about our ideas and hopes for marriage and the future, and it turns out that during a lot of that time, Haha wasn’t on the same page as the rest of us. It hurt, I admit it. I couldn’t even eat when he announced his marriage.”

He laughs softly, remembering.

“But he’s so happy. And I’m so happy for him. The shock made me act poorly at first, and I’m embarrassed about that, but I’m nothing but thrilled for Haha and Byul,” he finishes, taking a sip of his water and gazing across the room at the happy couple. They’re practically glowing as they make their way around the room, interacting with all the guests there to celebrate with them.

He watches them, of two minds about the situation like always. Like he said, of course he’s happy for his friend. And his friend’s new wife. It’s true that it took some time to set the hurt aside, but guilt over his struggle to be happy for Haha rushed that feeling away. It’s not that he’s _not_ happy.

He just wishes it was him. He can do that, right? He can be pleased for his friend’s success but still wish it was his, can’t he?

He scowls, looking down at his glass as he clutches it more tightly. It would be so much easier to be nothing but happy if he’d never gone back to that house out there in the middle of nowhere. If he just let time push the fragments of memories further and further away instead of finding out what was in store for his future.

Or, more aptly, _not_ in store for his future.

When he left Ji Ji Min’s that night, his mind was in a whirl. He was going to be alone. Forever. There was no one coming. Not a soul mate or anything else. And here she was, offering him a way to change all that. And her cost _seemed_ so low.

But Jong Kook remembers Haha’s behavior that night. How he got stiff and angry when the conversation approached anything even hinting at the extra “services” the mysterious woman could provide. How he stormed out of the room before he even found out that Jong Kook and his soul mate would never even meet each other. Something about Ji Min’s weird smile and Haha’s tense reactions spun him away from taking her up on her offer.

Something wasn’t right there. There had to be something more, some catch, something he wasn’t understanding. All of the evidence pointed to something much more sinister than just wanting to get two perfect lovebirds together. And then when he went back and he found out what she could offer him…  he had to leave. He _forced_ himself to leave. Just the word the fortune teller used - _break_ \- it felt like his body had been dropped into a bath full of ice. Could he _do_ that? To another person? No. _No._ And so, despite a sharp emptiness screaming in his chest, he had turned and walked out.

Noble _idiot_. He snorts, remembering.

It’s not like he stayed gone, though. No, he was back at that little house the next week. And the week after. And two weeks after that, and then twice the week after _that_. At first it was awkward and he stood in the doorway, shuffling his feet, ready to turn and bolt back to his car at the slightest twitch of an eyebrow from Ji Min.

But she didn’t twitch. She didn’t twitch anything. She just pulled the door wider and stood back to let him pass, waiting calmly and patiently as he stumbled over his words and tried to explain why he was back again. The next time was easier. And easier still after that. He’d knock on the door, she’d let him in, and they’d proceed directly down the short hallway and into the wide open space behind the door, a space that was becoming more comfortable than disorienting.

It’s not that he changed his mind, or even come close, really. It’s that… taking a peek in on her (that’s how he thinks of her… just as _her_ ) made him feel less lonely sometimes. Knowing that he’s alone and that he’s going to _stay_ that way, well. It’s been a bitter pill to swallow. His castmates still tease him about being single and when he’ll eventually settle down. Interviewers always ask him what he’s looking for in a woman, who he’s dating or has dated, and when wedding bells might be in store for him. It’s like death by a thousand papercuts. No one slice is critical, but they keep building and building and building.

Stopping by to peek in on _her_ has been comforting. At least there’s someone out there for him. He’s never going to meet her, they’re never going to be together, but there _is someone_. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with him. It’s not that he doesn’t know what women want, it’s not that he’s incapable of getting a woman to stay. It’s just an accident of fate, a stupid blip, _geography_ , even, that stands in his way. He’s not _doomed_ to be alone because of some fatal flaw in his romantic abilities. There _is_ someone. She’s just not here.

He saw a lot in those visits. Nothing remarkable or extraordinary, but just a lot of another person living her life. Little clips of daily minutiae. Putting on shoes over bright, fluorescent stripey socks. Driving, staring down a highway, for long periods of time. Shopping for food. _Cooking_ food. Jong Kook remembers the day he visited the fortune teller to check in on _her_ to find her trimming the far off an enormous pile of chicken breasts. He smiled the whole rest of the night after that one.

And laughing. _Always_ laughing. That crazy, kind of annoying, super loud laugh he can hear echo in his head whenever he wants. And sometimes when he doesn't want.

In between visits, he’d been surprisingly okay. After the initial slap of hurt, anyway. Something about those visions in the fortune teller’s darkened back room has sustained him. If he thinks about it too long, he knows it’s strange, creepy, even, to be spying on a stranger’s life, but he rationalizes it away. He’s not hurting anything or anyone. He’s just reminding himself that she’s there. That she’s _for him_. Every visit buoyed his spirits enough to make it through another round of teasing, another interview, another bout of speculation on his love life or lack thereof.

But he hasn’t been back in over a month now. He and Ji Min don’t talk much anymore when he visits, he just follows her back and she fires up her woo woo business. He watches silently for a while, then nods to the fortune teller and leaves. She doesn’t offer anything and she doesn’t push him, but he knows she’s just waiting. She thinks that his repeated visits are a sign of him getting closer and closer to taking her deal. They’re _not_ , but he realized he had to cut back anyway. That it was bordering on obsessive and unhealthy. He’s been working on a way to preserve his feelings of security and comfort in the face of years of lonely nights to come, a way that doesn’t involve being a weird, spectral peeping Tom.

It’s sort of working. Almost. He’s never been in better shape, anyway, since his main form of distraction is the gym and he’s hardly left it outside of working this last month or so.

He brings himself back to the present. Haha and Byul are approaching his table where only he remains, the rest of the guest assigned to those seats off dancing, drinking, and socializing.

“Hyung!” Haha bellows raspily. His entire face is consumed by his unerasable grin, eyes continually darting to his new bride. Byul has her hand tucked in the crook of her arm and looks just as deliriously happy.

“Hey, congratulations!” Jong Kook smiles sincerely and stands to hug each of them in turn. “This is all really great, really beautiful.”

Haha doesn’t answer, just turns adoring eyes toward his wife.

“Thank you, Jong Kook,” Byul answers for both of them. “And thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course! Like I would ever miss such an enormous and frankly, unlikely event in Dong Hoon’s life.” He jokingly slaps Haha on the arm and the shorter man pretends it didn’t hurt.

“Do you have a moment to talk?,” Byul asks, not waiting for an answer as she pulls out the chair beside Jong Kook and fluffs her skirts around until she’s settled in it comfortably. She looks pointedly at his chair, waiting for him to sit, too. He does, and Haha takes up the post on the other side of him, as if together, they plan to keep him from bolting away.

As if.

Byul looks directly into his eyes, taking one of his hands between hers. Jong Kook squirms a bit, feeling like she’s searching for something in his face.

“I’m sure you can guess what I want to talk about.”

Jong Kook opens his mouth to respond, stop her, cut her off, but she shakes her head quickly.

“Please. Let me apologize.”

His head drops slightly.

“I didn’t know that would happen. I didn’t know that _could_ happen. Thinking on it now, though, it’s obvious that the possibility was there. My family has been visiting that family for generations, and I’d never heard of such a thing, and I don’t know… I thought it would be fine. Dong Hoon speaks of you all the time, so highly. When we were dating, he always expressed so much concern over your situation.”

Jong Kook stiffens, resenting the idea of his singlehood being considered a _situation_.

Byul hurries on.

“He was concerned about how you’d feel when you found out about us. Really, it kept him up so many nights, worry for you.”

Haha flushes a bit, but Jong Kook keeps his attention on Byul, hoping they can finish this uncomfortable conversation and be done with it once and for all.

“I thought I could help. I thought I could knock out so many birds with one stone. I could help you, and at the same time, score points with my boyfriend for helping his friend. And, I admit it, I wanted you to like me, too. Haha adores you so much, I thought I could secure my place in your affections as well.”

Byul laughs softly at her past self and her foolish ideas.

Jong Kook does his best to look equally sincere when he responds. “Please. Don’t worry about it. Don’t even think about it again. Of course anyone Haha loves is a friend to me, as well.”

“So you’re… okay?”

He nods.

She sighs. “Well, that’s good. I just wish it could have gone for you like it did for us.”

Jong Kook bites his lower lip slightly, interest piqued. Ji Min’s offer swirls through his mind, along with his concerns about what might be behind it.

“Did you have to… I mean, to get you and Haha together, did you have to…” Jong Kook squirms uncomfortably, knowing he’s prying but unable to stop himself.

Byul’s eyebrows shoot up. “Ji Min offered you something?” She shakes her head. “I didn’t have to do anything - _she_ didn’t have to do anything - to get Dong Hoon and I together. But I know members of my family have taken her up on her alternative menu offerings in the past.” Her lips turn down at the corners briefly.

“Then how… ?”

Byul laughs. “Believe it or not, Haha and I are meant to be. He’s my guy. He’s the one. There’s no one else for me. Just him.” She turns her eyes to her husband, lifting one hand from Jong Kook’s and taking one of Haha’s. “Like everyone else in my family, I went to see Ji Ji Min - well, actually, her mother - in my mid-teens. I saw what you saw, I assume - strings winding together and apart and away and toward each other. Mine and my soul mate’s were interesting. They bumped into each other and veered apart over and over and over. But in the end, they were together. Having that knowledge as I grew up, knowing that I was eventually going to end up with the person for me, gave me a peaceful feeling that allowed me to focus on my career when I needed to, because I knew I didn’t have to rush or worry or search. I knew that the one for me was out there and not only that, but also that we were going to be together in the end.”

She looks down at her dress and then around at the people gathered in celebration of the new couple, smiling gently.

“When I first met Haha, I never in my wildest dreams suspect _he_ was the man I was waiting for. I mean… come on.”

“Hey!,” Haha interjects, wounded. Byul pats his hand consolingly, then lifts it to her lips to kiss his knuckles. Jong Kook clears his throat awkwardly as they lean across him to have a moment. When it carries on anyway, he places a palm on each of their foreheads and pushes them apart.

“Sorry,” Byul grins. “I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH.”

Haha is practically delirious with glee.

“ANYway,” she continues. “I admit I visited a few times over the years, just to check in. I mean, that’s not weird, right? It’s not creepy or anything. Is it?” She taps a nail on her teeth worriedly.

“No! It’s not weird at all!,” Jong Kook reassures her quickly. Too quickly. She gives him a knowing look.

“On one of my visits, it was clear that it was, in fact, Ha Dong Hoon. Dong Hoon was… _is_ … the man the universe set here for me. It blew my mind. It seemed impossible. His maturity, his flirting, his… _everything_. Just not what I pictured for myself.” She winces at Haha sympathetically, squeezing his hand gently.

Jong Kook holds up his palms in warning to keep them from getting all up in each other’s business in his lap.

“But, as you know, it all is what it is. You can’t argue against it or fight it away. I resolved myself to let things happen as they happened, and sure enough, over time, Haha became… well. I can tell you that I never want to be without him. That I can’t imagine someone more perfect for me. That the system _works_. Or at least, I thought it did… until I heard what happened to you.”

Her face crumbles in sympathy, almost as if she’s personally pained by what Jong Kook found out about his own life from the fortune teller.

“Pardon my curiosity,” she says hesitantly. “But you said that she made you an offer? No one ever really talks about their own experiences at the fortune teller’s house. I mean, there are rumors, of course, but people, even within the family, tend to keep their interactions secret. And your situation is so different from what I understood happened there, I just wonder… what can she do for something like that?”

Jong Kook leans back, undoing the top two buttons on his black shirt and looking around at the love-charged atmosphere filling the tastefully decorate hall.

“After that first time, I went back.” Jong Kook admits. Haha’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and Jong Kook turns to address him directly. “The day you announced your wedding. I got the address from Kwang Soo and went directly there.”

“Hyung, you never said! I didn’t hear from you for a few days... I assumed you went home.”

“Yeah, I’m still so sorry about that night.”

Haha grips his shoulder in understanding and consolation.

“But anyway, I went right there. When Haha told me it was you --” he nods to Byul “-- who recommended the place and that you had personal experience there, and you two were getting _married_ , I just had to find out what she was hinting at the first time, when she had told me she could ‘fix’ the situation for me.”

He takes a sip of water, remembering his second visit vividly.

“I looked again. I heard her talking. I felt just as pulled toward her as I had in the past. Only this time, she showed me something else, too. She showed me how no other threads stay with mine for any significant period of time. She showed me that I was going to be alone forever.”

Both Byul and Haha gasp. Haha’s head drops and Byul’s eyes shimmer with the threat of tears.

Jong Kook smiles ruefully at their emotion, grateful for an old friend and now, a new one.

“Ji Min told me she could fix it. She could arrange it so that our paths would cross and then wind together from there on. She told me all I would have to do was meet one simple condition. It _sounded_ really simple. But you guys have met her. It’s hard to know what’s really going on, you know?”

Byul nods, staying silent to encourage him to continue.

“She showed me how she could reach out and grab that string and bend it - actually, she said _break_ it - so that it came loose from where it was. It flew right to mine.” He smiles.

“But that second time, what I saw… she’s with someone. She seems happy. I mean, as best as I can tell. She’s already living with another man, maybe even married. And that word, ‘break,’ it just kept running through my head. I just couldn’t do it. Even aside from the suspicious payment terms and condition. I just couldn’t get that word out of my head. I can’t be the cause of ripping a person’s life off track, just for my own selfish happiness.”

He finishes and looks back and forth between the two, expecting nods of understanding, but Haha is shaking his head.

“Well, that’s bull shit,” says Byul, shocking Jong Kook.

“I… _what_?” He’s speechless at her reaction.

“So what if she’s with someone? She’s _your_ soul mate.”

Haha is nodding along. It’s clear who the spokesperson in this marriage is.

“I went back again, though,” Jong Kook explains. “Actually a bunch of times. I don’t really know why, I just… it felt nice to know she was there and she was meant to be with me, that there actually _could_ be a person for me even if I’m not meant to actually have her. And every time it was the same. She was always laughing, always so happy. She’s happy where she is.”

“But you’re _not_!” Byul slams a bejeweled fist on the table, shocking both men with her fierceness.

“Why should _she_ be the only one who gets to be happy? I mean, think about it. You don’t _actually_ know her yet. She’s just a stranger. She’s… she’s… think about it this way, okay? She’s another player in this game. Like on Running Man, right? She’s another player. And you’ve got an advantage in the game. Have you ever just chosen _not_ to use an edge or advantage that you’ve been given by the PDs? Or what about your natural advantages?”

She eyes his torso appreciatively. Haha flings his body across Jong Kook’s to block her view and the older man shoves him to the floor, where he lands in an undignified heap.

They both ignore him.

“Of course not. When you play a game, you play to win, and you use the tools you’ve got to make it happen. She won’t even know the difference, only you will. And if you’re feeling guilty, think about the fact that _she_ wins, too. You _both_ end up with your soul mates in the end. She may be happy where she is, but it’s only because she doesn’t know all the rules of the game like you do. She’ll be happier. I _know_ she will,” she says fiercely.

She looks down at Haha on the floor, poking him with a toe lovingly.

“I’ve dated other guys. I’ve dated terrible men and good men and I’ve been varying degrees of happy the whole time. Of course anyone can be happy in a good relationship, but I will tell you this: now that I’m with Haha, now that I’m with _the_ guy, the _one man_ meant specifically for me? Nothing compares. Nothing.”

Haha nuzzles her foot.

“Even if he is… Haha. Knowing what I know now, about how being with the one person intended for you compares to everything else, _anything_ else? I’d do it.” She presses her lips together and nods firmly. “I’d do it in a second. I’d do it twice. Whatever Ji Min wants, I’d give it to her. I’d do _anything_.”

She stares down at Haha.

“ _Anything_ ,” she repeats.

Jong Kook stands up. He looks between the two weirdos, one in a chair, the other on the floor hugging a foot. He looks at how they stare into each other’s eyes, oblivious of everything else around them, totally unaware of their own party continuing.

He takes a step back from the table slowly. Then another. And another.

He turns on his heel, moving more quickly, pushing through the swinging doors of the hall and picking up his pace as he crosses the foyer.

By the time he’s outside, he’s running.

Before he knows it, he’s pounding on a familiar door, not pausing to wait for a response. Just beating against it, his fist still raised when a plain woman swings it open and looks up at him.

“Do it. Break it.”

  
  
  



	9. Waiting

**_Summer 2013_ **

 

Jong Kook is parked comfortably in the First Class Lounge at JFK airport in New York. His legs are stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, his head leaned back and eyes closed as he listens to the music pumping through his headphones. His hat is pulled low over his eyes, though he doesn’t expect to be recognized, much less disturbed, in the nearly empty lounge.

There are a couple of business men having a low-voiced discussion at a table a couple feet away. The rest of the scattered tables are empty, a young woman wiping each of them down methodically. Across the room from his own row of chairs is another lined against the opposite wall. Two men sit at the far end, near the door, engaged in what appears to be a heated discussion with a harried looking woman who is trying to keep a grip on an over-excited toddler. An enormous car seat sits on the ground between them. A man and woman are standing at the small cafe-style counter, chit chatting as they wait for their coffees.

It’s quiet in the lounge, and even though he’s been on top of the world lately, Jong Kook is grateful for the lack of disruptions to his thoughts. Things have been going great recently. The appearances associated with his seventh album have been well-received and he was recently approached to contribute a song to a drama soundtrack. He’s never been happier on Running Man and Escape Crisis is another venue to flex his MC muscles. There have been some physical setbacks due to his strenuous and active schedule, but nothing slowing him down in a major way.

Everyone he encounters recently comments on his drive, his upbeat mood, and his seemingly endless energy. He feels as though he’s only getting better with age. Much to the surprise of his friends, this year’s birthday passed without incident, no one needing to prop him up through maudlin beer tears. He invited his closest friends to a private room at his favorite restaurant and smiled and laughed late into the night. He’s unstoppable.

Only a few people have cast a spare thought toward what may have gotten into Jong Kook recently, but they all shrugged it off. He’s healthy. His career is going well. He’s extremely well-known throughout Asia and enjoys his fame and fans. What’s to frown about?

Jong Kook smiles slightly, thinking over the last three quarters of a year. Nothing has changed, really. Well, nothing anyone can see. But everything is different and everything is better. Byul was right - once his future was secure and he knew what was coming for him, he was able to let go of his stress and worries associated with his love life - or lack thereof. After visiting the fortune teller’s isolated house late on the evening of Haha’s wedding, Jong Kook has felt lighter than air. He threw himself into his work, singing, fan meets, and anything else that life put in front of him with renewed vigor. The universe was taking care of his main worry, freeing him up to focus on anything and everything else. He’s never been more comfortable in his own skin or more happy to just be alive.

Right now, he’s travelling back to Korea after a short vacation - some much appreciated but rarely encountered down time - in New York. He spent it doing almost nothing, just hanging out with friends and enjoying what the city had to offer, comfortable in the near-anonymity of the bustling metropolis. His flight to LA leaves in less than an hour, followed by a short layover before the long haul back to Seoul. He loves visiting the States and does so whenever he can, meeting up with friends or just exploring on his own as the opportunities arise. Running Man has had them travelling all over the other side of the world, but break through into the US doesn’t seem likely for the show just now, no matter how much the very vocal American fans clamor for a visit from the seven variety stars.

He shifts, adjusting his position and stretching his arms up over his head, trying to take advantage of the freedom to move around while he has it. First class is spacious, of course, but the confines of a plane are never especially comfortable. Her attention caught by the movement, the woman wiping the tables looks up and their eyes meet. She smiles at him shyly.

“Can I get you anything?,” she calls across the short distance.

He lifts one earpiece of his headphones and tilts his head at her.

“Can I get you anything?,” she repeats, blushing a bit.

“No, I’m doing well, thank you,” he smiles back warmly, sliding his headphones off.

He’s conscious of the fact that he’s immediately open to any spontaneous contact from Americans and Canadians and anyone speaking English or anyone in the States or, really, anyone anywhere, lately. He knows he can’t force the connection to happen - the moment in time when his soul mate’s new path will throw her across his own - but he knows that it _will_ happen, and the back of his mind is always running with a low hum of anticipation. Is this the day? Does this guy know her? Does this woman work with her? Is that her? He’s comfortable waiting, knowing that his fate his set, but his eagerness jumps to the surface with an enthusiasm he has to carefully contain whenever a seemingly serendipitous encounter may be about to happen. So far, nothing, and over the months his nerves unwound, he was strung less tightly, allowing his newfound focus on the rest of his life.

Still, he was always ready.

The worker moves to a table a little closer, encouraged by his smile. “Are you travelling far?”

“Korea,” he replies. “I spent some time with friends and now I’m heading home.”

“Oh, do you get to the United States a lot?”

“Not much, not as much as I’d like. My work keeps me pretty busy.”

“Oh, yeah, mine keeps me out of Korea, too,” she says, lifting her hand and shaking the damp rag in it a bit.

He laughs, his eyes crinkling nearly shut with his smile. He’s about to reply when they both turn toward the other side of the room, attention caught by slightly raised voices. The harried woman is now kneeling in front of the car seat, shaking the straps emphatically. One of the men is standing. He looks over his shoulder at them and raises his hand slightly in apology and the group goes back to their discussion in hushed tones. The toddler is squirming, pinned to the ground under the carseat-hassling woman’s leg.

Jong Kook turns back to the woman wiping a table a little closer to him now.

“What do you do?,” she asks him, continuing to swipe at a now completely clean table.

“I’m a singer,” he says. “And a… I don’t know how you would put this in English. A television… host?”

“You’re on TV? And you sing? No wonder you’re so busy. Would I know any of your songs?”

“Do you speak Korean?”

“No.”

“Do you listen to Korean music?”

“... No.”

“Then I’m going to guess you probably wouldn’t recognize any of my songs,” he chuckles.

“Sorry,” she blushes.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” He smiles at her reassuringly.

Voices raise in the corner again.

“Seriously, you _have_ to watch me,” the flustered woman says to the group, her voice thready and tense. “You pinch here - here - _feel_ this.” She jerks the standing man down to his knees next to her. Jong Kook winces as he almost lands on the sprawled-out child. “You pinch _here_ and this whole piece lifts, then you put the seat belt across --”

“Eh, we’ll just sort it out when we get in the car.” The man sitting in the chair finally shows some signs of life, flapping his hand irritably at the woman’s demonstration of the inner workings of what is apparently the most complicated car seat on Earth.

“No, you need to -- you know what, I’m just taking her with me. I’m taking her with me!” The woman flops to the ground, her voice flat with defiance, annoyance, the sound of someone at the end of her rope. The businessmen look over at the disruption with irritation.

The man beside her places a hand on her shoulder, leaning closer to say a few soft words. Whatever he’s saying to his companion seems to work and the group quiets down again.

“They’ve been here a while,” the coffee counter girl supplies. “The two men and that woman and the little girl.”

Jong Kook nods disinterestedly, turning his attention away from the small cluster of people, noting as he does that the woman’s messy bun - not so much “artful disarray” as “actual disarray” - is only getting more messy as she tugs on the dark hair in frustration, scrambling after the little girl who has made good her escape. He winces, hoping they’re not on his flight, then immediately feels bad for the thought. He likes children. He does. He didn’t always, but he came around to them over the years, enjoying the company of his nieces and nephew, not-so-patiently awaiting the day when he had some of his own. That could be him, he reminds himself sternly. That will be him, he amends firmly.

The door down at Jong Kook’s end of the lounge opens and a sleek, professional-looking woman walks in, speaking lowly into her cell phone as she makes her way to the counter. The girl wiping tables sighs wistfully, casts one last look _all_ up and down Jong Kook, and moves to meet her at the counter. Her classic black heels click against the floor. Her light hair is twisted up in an elegant french twist, pairing perfectly with her plain but well-fitting black pencil skirt and structured black blazer. The businessmen watch her pass appreciatively. Jong Kook snorts at their poorly-concealed interest and slides his headphones back into place, rummaging in his backpack for a book to pass the rest of the time before boarding.

The heels click past him again a few moments later, heading toward soft chairs on the opposite end of the lounge. Jong Kook pulls his legs in politely to let her go by, then yanks them in even further as hard plastic cup is flung by the rogue toddler, pelting him in the knee.

He rubs the offended joint, wincing, wondering where the hell such a small kid got such a hell of an arm, and leans down to feel under his chair for the unwelcome projectile. His fingers close on it almost immediately, at the same time as another set does as well.

A light-skinned hand with perfectly manicured nails grips the other end of the cup as he raises it. He notes the black heels stopped before him, attached to long legs bent at the knee as the owner squats down to grab the cup herself. His eyes follow the length of a slender arm up, up, up, until he meets the eyes of the woman nearly on her knees before him.

She smiles at him.

He freezes, staring into the unfamiliar yet still totally and completely familiar most breathtakingly deep green eyes he’s ever seen.

 


	10. One Tiny Condition

_A light-skinned hand with perfectly manicured nails grips the other end of the cup as he raises it. He notes the black heels stopped before him, attached to long legs bent at the knee as the owner squats down to grab the cup herself. His eyes follow the length of a slender arm up, up, up, until he meets the eyes of the woman nearly on her knees before him._

_She smiles at him._

_He freezes, staring into the unfamiliar yet still totally and completely familiar most breathtakingly deep green eyes he’s ever seen._

 

* * *

 

He bites back a gasp and glances down to collect himself, eyes fixed on the point where their fingertips almost touch at the middle of the toddler-flung projectile. Swallowing hard, he forces back the urge to scooch his fingers forward just a millimeter or two to make contact with hers. He waits a beat, then another, trying to gather himself as thoughts race through his mind too fast to fully comprehend.

_“This is it, this is -- Oh, God, this is it. Do I look… how is my hair… oh, is she pretty? I think she’s pretty. She’s definitely -- it doesn’t matter if she’s… but of course she is. She has to be. Well, she doesn’t_ **_have --_ ** _How long have I been bent over like this? Oh, God, it’s been an hour. It’s been two hours. I’m an idiot. I'm going to die like this. I hope I die like this. It's been three hours. Maybe if I stay really still she'll just -- just WHAT? Be fooled into thinking I'm a statue? GET UP. I’m being an -- SAY SOMETHING, IDIOT. SAY SOMETHING. LOOK UP. SAY SOMETHING. LOOK --”_

“Is this yours?” A soft voice tinged with laughter interrupts his self-flagellation.

Jong Kook lifts his head slowly, slowly, slowly, his eyes moving over a graceful neck, exposed by the elegant twist of hair at her nape. A defined jaw frames lightly-glossed lips twisted into an amused smile. Her skin is bright and clear over high cheekbones and slightly pudgy cheeks, which lend a tinge of cuteness to an otherwise classically beautiful face. One eyebrow arches questioningly, awaiting his claim to the sippy cup. Jong Kook opens his mouth to reply, but the instant his eyes meet hers, he’s transported back to the previous November, the night of Haha’s wedding, his last visit to the secluded house off the beaten path.

_******_

_He had knocked on the door. Then knocked again. And again, shifting his weight impatiently from foot to foot, very close to bouncing up and down with tightly wound energy. His fist was raised to knock yet again when the door swung open to reveal Ji Min._

_She was several inches shorter than him in her bare feet, but still managed to cast an imposing presence over him. Her dark hair was drawn up in a severe bun, not a strand out of place. She wore no makeup, as usual, though the angle of her upturned eyes gave her a dramatic look regardless._

_She glanced at his hand meaningfully and he lowered his raised fist, abashed. She said nothing. Waited._

_Jong Kook swallowed, took a deep breath. “I want to do it.” He nodded. “I want to do it,” he said again, more firmly._

******

"I... " His voice came out strangled. He tried again. "No, it's not mine. I drink from real cups."

He immediately cringes internally, a flush creeping up his neck. _“‘I drink from real cups?’ Next are you going to tell her you cut your own food and sleep in a big boy bed? Get it together!”_

She blinks, then her smile stretched more widely. “Is that so? I just started using straws last week, myself.” She gestures with the large iced tea in her free hand.

She lets go of her side of the cup and straightens up and Jong Kook follows suit gratefully, subtly stretching his aching back as he sits up in his chair. He clutches the bright plastic sippy cup tightly, pain in his pegged knee all but forgotten.

“That’s a big step. A whole new world is going to open up for you soon. Teacups, mugs, wine glasses -- you’re really on your way now.” He offers his practiced easy smile even though his insides are anything but calm.

She gives a short laugh, eyes twinkling with humor. “Well, I don’t drink alcohol, but I have been looking forward to a brandy snifter of orange juice for a while now.”

A tingle of warmth floods Jong Kook’s limbs. It’s happening. It’s really happening.

_******_

_Ji Ji Min eyed him silently, assessing. He bounced on the balls of his feet impatiently. Finally, after a long couple of moments, she stepped aside to allow him to enter the modest house. He started to head down the familiar hallway to the left, but she didn’t immediately follow. Instead, she briefly vanished behind the room dividing screen in the corner, emerging a couple of seconds later with one of the many notebooks that lined the shelf that shared the small space with her desk. She flipped through it quickly, nodded, then lead the way down the hall, Jong Kook following right behind. She abruptly stopped before entering the darkened space, causing him to run right into her back with a thud, almost knocking her off her feet._

_The fortune teller turned to look at him again, looking him up and down carefully, looking for… he didn’t know what. She still hadn’t said a single word, and the Commander swallowed nervously, wondering if he was going to be pulled up short after he’d finally come to this decision. But that wasn’t to be - Ji Min apparently saw what she was looking for, turned, and swung the door open. They both entered the expansive and unsettling space that was already rolling with a light mist._

_Jong Kook practically barrelled into the room, Byul’s words swirling through his head. Without her encouragement, he never would have come this far, but she was right. Why should he have to live alone forever when the woman for him was out there, existing, living her life? Yes, she did seem happy in all of the little peeks he’s taken into her life over the last year or so, but how happy could she really be if she wasn’t with him? She was meant to be with him. This is a favor for both of them._

_******_

“Would you like to sit?,” Jong Kook asks the woman standing in front of him, gesturing to the wide armrest-slash-table between his seat and the unoccupied one beside him. “I could use some protection.” He shakes the sippy cup.

“I would, actually.” She sets her iced tea on the armrest and turns, smoothing her black pencil skirt as she takes the seat beside Jong Kook.

He breathes deeply once, then twice, mind still whirling with disbelief. He takes a second to steady himself before turning in his seat to angle toward the woman who, from this day forward, will factor majorly into his life. His whole new life. Starting right now.

“Thanks. Whew.” She leans forward, setting her leather messenger bag-style briefcase on the ground, massaging her ankles one at a time. “Travelling in heels. What a mistake. You’ve got the right idea.” She takes in his loose black shorts, sneakers, and casual grey longsleeved shirt. “I’m really tempted to hit a gift shop for an ‘I Heart NY’ t-shirt and some ‘I Heart NY’ pajama pants and maybe a pair of ‘I Heart NY’ socks. I’m Hannah.” She settles back in her seat and sticks out a hand. “Nice to meet you over this plastic cup of juice.”

Jong Kook grins, enjoying her easy attitude and friendly demeanor. He takes her hand, small in his own, and shakes it gently. “Kim Jong Kook. Jong Kook, I mean. In Korea, family names come --”

“-- first,” she finishes. “I know. I was actually born in Korea. Very nice to meet you, Kim Jong Kook.” She smiles at him over their joined hands, then looks down at them pointedly. He hastily lets go.

“You were born in Korea?” He makes of show of looking her up and down. “I hate to get this airport lounge friendship off on the wrong foot, but I’m not buying it, Hannah.”

“I didn’t say I was Korean,” she laughs. “Just that I was born there. We came back to the States a bit before I turned two.”

“Well, that’s something we have in common, then. This may shock you, but I was also born in Korea.”

Hannah grins at him brightly. “So are you on your way there now?”

“Yes,” he replies. “I’ve been in the city for a week or so, and now I’m flying to Los Angeles and then on to Seoul this evening. How about you, where are you headed?”

“I’m also going to LA. I’ve got an interview for a medical internship, I’ve got to head there as soon as we land.”

“You’re a doctor?” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He doesn’t know exactly what he was expecting and he realizes anew that he knows absolutely nothing about this woman other than the fact that they’re going to be together forever. He fights back a near-giddy laugh, the surrealness of the situation thickening with every instant.

“No, no, I’m not a doctor yet. I’m a medical student. I have a bit of training left to go.” She smiles ruefully. “I’m hoping to get into this program at UCLA to speed the last bit of schooling and training along.”

“Ah,” he nods as if he understands. He doesn’t understand. No matter. Time enough for understanding later. Though he doesn’t quite understand how “later” is supposed to come, if she’s stopping in Los Angeles and he’s continuing through to Korea without her. He takes a sip from his bottle of water to cover his moment of introspection.

“But if all goes well, I’ll be in Korea later this year! What were you doing in New York? Anything fun? Hopefully not work.” She makes a face. “I love to get into New York whenever I can, but school keeps me leashed to the books most of the time. Tell me about your trip.” She smiles encouragingly, her rapid-fire questions conveying genuine interest in his answers, her expression open and friendly. He barely has a moment to absorb her words about heading to Korea later in the year before she continues.

“We’ve got another 45 minutes before boarding for our flight, so you may as well give in and chat with me!” She beams at him, her face suddenly appearing much younger than her professional attire belies.

He snorts internally. As if he had any intention to do anything at all for the next 45 minutes aside from sit here and talk to her.

_******_

_Instead of heading to her customary slightly raised pedestal in the middle of the room, the fortune teller stayed close to Jong Kook, standing in front of him and flipping through the pages of the notebook she brought along, it’s soft leather cover falling open easily in her hands as if she’s been through it thousands of times._

_She flipped until she came to a page two thirds of the way through the book, running her finger down the tightly-packed scrawlings. With not a single word yet spoken, she waved an arm behind herself almost absently and two strings immediately began to glow brightly in the haze. They stood alone, none of the other billions of strands filling in the empty space around them, which gave the disorienting room an even more pronounced feeling of existing both inside and outside of the confined space of the small house._

_Jong Kook focused on the two strands and the distance between them. On the drive over, he’d tried to go over all the possibilities of what might happen. If Ji Ji Min might refuse to help him after so many visits with nothing in it for her. If he he’d get cold feet at the last second. If he’d have to take part in some weird and potentially terrifying ritual. None of these thoughts got him to turn around and now that he was there, he knew he was pressing forward all the way. He thought he might be imagining it, but he could almost see the two lighted strands vibrating with the strain of being pulled so far apart. He knew he was doing the right thing._

_“So.” Ji Min snapped the book shut suddenly, startling him. “You’re going to go ahead with this.”_

_“Yes.”_

_“You understand what’s going to happen.” It was a statement, not a question._

_“...Ye… yes.”_

_She crooked a brow at him. “Just to review, so we’re both clear. As one of a matched pair of souls, you’ve decided to give me permission to break your partner strand, loosening it from its current ties of fate. I’ve already shown you what will happen -- when freed, that particular strand will fall directly into yours. Your life paths will continue from the point in time of the break, with your partner’s making a single turn that brings her -- we assume it’s a her, anyway -- to you. I will decide the best point in time to make that break. In fact, I already have.” She lifted the notebook slightly._

_Jong Kook nodded, eyes darting back between Ji Min and the strand that represented her, becoming more eager by the second to get on with events. Would he meet her right away? Tomorrow? The next day? Where would he meet her? How will it all play out?_

_“You understand that this decision is permanent,” the fortune teller continued. “I can’t give you a refund. I can’t bend it back. Broken is broken.”_

_He nodded again, admittedly only half-listening at this point, mentally jumping ahead years to finally having his own wedding, finally starting his own family, finally coming home to someone taking care of his home and mothering his children. Two children. Three. No, two. No, no, five. A thousand. A THOUSAND BABIES._

_Ji Min rolled her eyes, knowing she didn't have his full attention, but finished up her warnings anyway. “You will have an obligation. I told you that you’d need to meet one condition in order to cement the union where your paths meet. This is essential. On top of that, there’s the matter of my payment.”_

_He turned, ripping himself away from his daydream about retiring from the hectic celebrity life and opening a gym chain with all of his four thousand children working there alongside him._

_“Right…,” he said slowly. “Your payment. I brought my credit card.”_

_She shook her head. “No, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. I don’t get paid in cash. People like you keep me afloat, but not monetarily.”_

_He was irritated and confused. “Stop talking in circles and just tell me what you want.”_

_She smiled._

_******_

Hannah and Jong Kook discuss New York, Los Angeles, and the various merits of each. He tells her how New York compares to Seoul and what differences he’s always found most surprising between Korea and the United States. She talks about her life as a medical student and how busy it keeps her, relating stories about the creative ways she and her study group have come up with to stay up all night.

They’re discovering lots of little things in common. Neither of them drink alcohol, and while she likes tea, Hannah also doesn’t care for coffee, same as Jong Kook. They both take care with what they eat, and had an interesting discussion about the effects of starchy carbs on the body. They both like to exercise to blow off steam. They’re engaging in a friendly debate about the pros and cons of morning exercise versus evening exercise when their flight is announced.

“Oh, wow,” Hannah says. “Already? That flew by!” She reluctantly slides her feet back into her heels.

Jong Kook is also shocked. They talked so easily and comfortably that he didn’t even focus on directing the conversation to find out… anything. Something. Anything at all. He stands, mentally scrambling for a way to prolong the conversation.

“Maybe we’ll be seated beside each other on the plane,” he suggests.

“Oh, geeze, I hope not!,” Hannah exclaims. Jong Kook is visibly taken aback by her enthusiasm for getting away from him.

“Oh!,” She gasps and rests a hand lightly on his arm. The contact tingles. “I didn’t mean I don’t want to talk to you! I’ve just enjoyed our conversation so much and I have to prepare for my interview on the flight.” She reaches down and pulls her briefcase onto her lap, patting it lightly. “I’ve been gearing up for this for months. I have to focus.” She smiles at him regretfully and moves to stand. He takes her hand and helps her up.

“I understand. It sounds very important.”

“It is,” she agrees. “I really -- oh! The cup! The symbol of our friendship!” She grabs up the sippy cup that they’d abandoned on the seat beside Jong Kook. “I’ve got to run to the ladies’ before we board, so I’ll return this on my way.” She gestures with her head to the group in the opposite corner, the two men gathering their things as the woman stares blankly ahead with the little girl sleeping on her chest. “It was great talking to you today. Really great. Really, really great.” She offers a genuine grin and pats him on the arm again.

“Yes, you, too.” Jong Kook frantically searches his mind for something else to say. She starts to head away with a small wave.

“Hey, uh… Hannah!” He calls her back quickly. “You said… you’re coming to Korea later in the year?”

“I hope so! Provided today goes well.”

“Do you want to… can I… when you get there, would you like… “ He’s suddenly stumbling over his words, becoming more flustered by the second. He can feel his face heating, the casual, laid back persona he’d carefully developed slipping away.

She walks back over, rummaging in her bag as she closes the distance between them. She pulls out a small notebook and pen, scribbling something down and ripping the paper out.

“Let’s get together when I get to Korea. The more familiar faces in a foreign land, the better, right?”

He silently releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, grateful for her graceful rescue of his pubescent teenager-esque floundering. He takes the paper offered, extremely conscious of their fingertips brushing together. He nods.

She lifts both hands and waves at him, taking a few steps backward before turning and heading to the corner with the sippy cup of fate. He watches her tap the disheveled woman on the shoulder to get her attention then stand to talk with her. She smiles at the sleeping toddler, brushing the curls away from her forehead as she talks to the mother. She’s so friendly.

Not wanting to appear like a creeper, he pulls his own backpack onto his back and heads out of the lounge. He reaches his gate and presents his ticket for scanning, boarding quickly and without issue. He finds his seat near the back of first class and settles in. A few moments later, the family from the lounge enters, seated much closer to the front. He breathes a guilty sigh of relief as he notices the toddler is now awake and chattering away to everyone they pass.

He endeavors to busy himself with removing his mp3 player and headphones from his bag in order to avoid watching the door of the plane for Hannah’s entry. Even though she does need to work and he doesn’t want to disturb her, he totally does want to disturb her and hopes she’s seated near by. After a few moments of arranging and rearranging the few items in his bag, she finally boards. She says a few cheerful words to the flight attendant that he can’t hear, but he’s charmed by her outgoing personality regardless. Much to his disappointment, she finds her seat at the front of the plane, sliding into the window seat in the first row. One of the businessmen from the lounge boards immediately behind her and glances at his ticket, barely concealing his delight to find he’s got the seat beside Hannah.

Jong Kook scowls with jealousy he knows he has no right to feel but also knows he totally has a right to feel.

_******_

_Jong Kook waited, tamping down his impatience to get to his own future._

_“Do you agree to what’s going to happen here today?,” Ji Min asked._

_“The payment?” Jong Kook queried again._

_“That’s the payment. You give me permission to perform this procedure. That’s all I need from you.”_

_Jong Kook narrowed his eyes and frowned as he tried to sort out what she was saying._

_“Do you?” She uncapped a pen._

_“I want to do this,” he reaffirmed. “But I don’t understand what I’m paying you.”_

_She sighed in annoyance. “As I explained last year,” she said pointedly, “you get your soulmate and I get something I need to be able to continue to offer these services to others. Manipulation of the soul map produces a certain type of energy that it needs to keep working. It’s very environmentally conscious, if you think about it. However, in order to manipulate the path of the life a person, I need permission of at least one half of the matched pair. I can’t just go kicking things around willy nilly.”_

_She pushed the notebook toward him so he could see a space marked with an X between all the tightly filled lines of text. He tried to look more closely, but the words seemed to swim on the page, crammed so tightly together it almost appeared they were crawling all over each other._

_He looked at Ji Min, then back at the paper. He looked at the two strands standing so far apart from each other. Before he realized what he was doing, he snatched the pen from her hand and signed on the line with a flourish._

_“Thank you,” she said and snapped the book shut briskly. She moved quickly, heading toward the strand representing his soulmate. Like the night Haha announced his wedding, she stood in front of it and examined it closely, seeming to focus on a portion above her head. She consulted the book in her hand and reached out to run her palm over the strand. She looked at the book again, confirming. Then suddenly, she snapped the strand._

_Even though he knew it was coming, Jong Kook was still startled by her rapid movement. From there, everything proceeded like she had showed him it would. The strand tipped slowly, like a falling tree, and quickly gained speed as it moved. It shot across the room from where it was clearly broken, moving directly toward the only other strand visible in the space._

_His strand._

_As the two made contact, there was a barely audible crackle of energy that zipped through the room. Her strand snapped up against his, almost as if drawn by opposite magnetic poles, then straightened back toward the ceiling along his own. The two very briefly flared with a bright blue-white light as they wound together._

_“It’s done.” Ji Min smiled contentedly and made a show of dusting her hands together. “She’s coming.”_

_Jong Kook felt a warm glow spreading from his chest through his limbs. It’s done. It’s done. It’s done. He wanted to race home and wait for her like a puppy on the front porch._

_“Now? Will she… when do I… how…” He tripped over the million questions trying to exit his mouth at once. “What do I have to… do?”_

_“Just wait,” Ji Min assured him. “All you have to do now is live your life. Everything will unfold as it’s supposed to. All you have to do is wait. And, of course… fulfill the condition.”_

_He froze. In his confusion over the payment, he’d forgotten to ask about the condition before she went ahead with her woo woo._

_“Don’t worry. It’s simple. One tiny condition. It’s an easy task. It won’t take but a moment. You can do it the second you meet her and be done with it. But you must remember - the condition must be satisfied in order for this manipulation to take firm hold. Things will not go well for you if you fail to perform the task.”_

_******_

He stares at the back of Hannah’s seat, though he can barely see it from where he sits. He realizes he’s still struggle to really grasp that it finally happened. Their conversation was so natural and flowing, he hadn’t even had a moment to think about what their meeting meant or what would come in the future.

He feels a smile start to spread on his face, getting larger and larger. He knows he must look like an idiot smiling to himself, but he can’t stop. He leans back and settles in, sliding his headphones over his ears and pulling his hat low to conceal his eyes. He fully intends on spending the next five hours going over their entire conversation instant by instant, cataloguing what he’s learned for the unknown-but-known future. He interlaces his fingers and rest them on his stomach as he leans back.

One small thought causes a hitch in his bliss. There’d been no appropriate moment to bring up the condition. When he’s imagined this meeting in the past, he assumed he’d handle it right off the bat. Meeting Hannah for real, though, was nothing like the hundreds of scenarios he’d run through, and all his preparation had been for nothing. It’s fine, though. There’s plenty of time.

He suddenly remembers the slip of paper she’d handed him before they parted. He angles his body to the side and digs in his pocket, panicking momentarily when he doesn’t discover it immediately. He sighs with relief a split second later when he locates the folded paper at the bottom of his soft pocket.

He unfolds it carefully. Scrawling, feminine handwriting crosses the page.

"Hanana Banana 799476 at gmail dot com.” He mouths the words silently.

“Hannah Banana,” he chuckles. “Cute, cute, cute.”

Then what he’s looking at fully sinks in.

“Ugh, computers,” he groans, pulling his hat lower as he secures the precious address in a pocket of his bag.

_******_

_He leaned forward unconsciously, body straining to not miss a single word._

_“All you have to do,” Ji Min spun on her heel and headed to the door of the mystical room. “Is one little thing.”_

_He followed her through the door and she continued speaking as she walked down the hall and into the softly lit front room._

_“One tiny condition.”_

_She pulled open the front door and turned to face him._

_“To secure the new position of the path of her life without issue, to keep her for yourself just like you came here tonight to do.”_

_She herds him onto the front step._

_“You just have to tell her what you did here tonight before she finds out for herself.”_


	11. Crashing

"All right everyone, that's it for today. Thanks a lot and we'll see you again tomorrow."

Kim Jong Kook slumps with near-exhaustion as soon as the end of the shoot of Running Man is called. He loves being busy, but his schedule lately is so packed with rehearsals and filming for his various television shows that he feels like he's always either at work or driving to work. It's already 10pm and he still has to eat, get home, shower, sleep, and hit the gym before heading back before the sun even comes up tomorrow. He closes his eyes and rubs a hand over his face, trying to summon the energy to get moving after a particularly active Running Man episode.

Kwang Soo bounds up beside him, still seemingly filled with endless energy. Jong Kook doesn't know how it's possible, considering Kwang Soo's schedule is just as full and his commutes are just as painful, if not more so. 

"Hyung!" Kwang Soo slings an arm around the shorter man's shoulders. "What are you doing now? Do you want to go eat together?"

"Seriously? Aren't you tired? I don't think I'll even be able to eat once I finally get home and showered, let alone spend several more hours hogging the back room of a restaurant with you. I'm dead tired. I can't even think. My poor manager is going to have to drive me home, I don't think I could make it safely. How  _are_  you maintaining this kind of energy when I know you live even farther out than I do?"

"Oh, I haven't been going home much lately," Kwang Soo says casually.

Jong Kook's eyebrows shoot to the top of his head. "Oh,  _really_? Just where  _have_  you been going?," he asks cheekily, nudging the giraffe in the ribs with his elbow.

"Ahh, ahh, Jong Kook hyung!" Kwang Soo leaps back, rubbing his side with a wounded frown. "Not so hard. I'm a delicate flower."

"I hope I haven't injured you too much to keep up with your apparent nighttime activities," Jong Kook leers teasingly.

"No, no, it's not like that!" Kwang Soo hurriedly explains, lifting both hands up in front of himself as if to physically stop whatever assumptions Jong Kook is making. "I've spent a lot of nights in the last few months crashing at Ji Hyo's assistant's apartment. It's right in the center of the city, it's been really convenient. I practically roll out of bed and right to work most days."

"Oh? Ji Hyo has an assistant? I don't think I've met him, what's his name?"

"Hyung." Kwang Soo rolls his eyes. "You've met  _her_  at  _least_  three times. Che Ri? I mean, Cherry? She's right over there?" Kwang Soo points to the opposite side of the entry they've walked to as they spoke, where Ji Hyo is talking to a woman standing with her back to them.

"Hm, I don't think so," Jong Kook replies. "Tell me about her, eh?"

Kwang Soo barely dodges another tiger elbowing.

"It's not  _like_  that," Kwang Soo insists again. "She's got this enormous apartment in the middle of Seoul and she lives there all alone. Seriously, it's NOT LIKE THAT!"

Jong Kook laughed softly, enjoying teasing Kwang Soo as they packed their assorted belongings into their backpacks.

"Seriously." Kwang Soo scowls. "A couple of months ago, I was just totally wrecked after a shoot, and Ji Hyo noona was stopping by Che Ri's - Cherry's - apartment for a bit to go over some schedule or something? I don't know. You know noona is planning to start auditioning for American films, right?"

Jong Kook  _didn't_  actually know, but he nods anyway.

"Well, earlier in the year when noona was in the US, she somehow met Cherry - I'm not really sure on the details, but she can tell you if you're interested. I think it might have been through a studio, or an American agent? Anyway. She arranged that Cherry would be her assistant for a while, because she was coming to Korea with her husband anyway, and they could work on Ji Hyo's English together."

"Wait, I thought you said Che Ri lives alone? So her husband lives somewhere else and you crash at her place? And Ji Hyo's English is fairly good, nothing a couple of classes here wouldn't brush up easily. Why does she need an American assistant for that? I'd help her with her English," Jong Kook sniffs, not sure if he's insulted or not.

"I'm telling a story here, hyung. So Ji Hyo noona was stopping by Che Ri's and she invited me to come along because I was too exhausted and hungry to move very far right then. I got there, and hyung, really, this apartment is ridiculous. It's so big. And there are  _video games_.  _All_  of them."

Jong Kook rolled his eyes.

"AND a private gym!" Kwang Soo added, angling to impress his older friend with his sweet hookup. "So I hung out there and ate - the fridge is always full of food - and played games while they talked about, I don't know, makeup and tampons, I wasn't listening and it was mostly in English anyway. She didn't ask you because it was suggested she work with an adult female native English speaker, and plus no one likes it when you teach them things, you're kind of awful."

Jong Kook raises an elbow threateningly and Kwang Soo hurries on. "When Ji Hyo noona was about to leave, she suggested I just crash at Cherry's since I had to be back in the city so early in the morning. Cherry was totally fine with it, so I did. I made coffee before I left in the morning and Cherry said I could stay whenever I like. I thought she was joking, but she wasn't. I don't know, I think she's kind of lonely in that big apartment all alone. Her husband isn't here - I don't know what is going on there. I almost asked her once, but Ji Hyo noona shook her head really hard and made throat chopping motions, so I didn't. Anyway, I've stayed there a lot over the last couple of months. She has two guest bedrooms fully furnished and she's actually rarely there herself. Since we both have to be back early tomorrow, why don't you come with me tonight? I wanted to talk to you about  _Haaaaannaaaaaah_  anyway," he finishes teasingly.

Jong Kook blushes bright pink at the mention of Hannah's name. He shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Don't tell me!," Kwang Soo exclaims. "You haven't contacted her yet?"

Jong Kook drops his eyes sheepishly. He  _hasn't_  contacted Hannah yet. He's thought about it a lot, pulling the well-worn scrap of paper out of his wallet to look at it almost daily, but hasn't been able to pull his thoughts together enough to go through with emailing. He waited for so long, but now that his wish is within his grasp, it all feels too big and overwhelming to comprehend. On top of that, he can't seem to put together an email that sounds casual and friendly instead of desperate and clingy, no matter how many times he rewrites it in his head in the shower each day.

Kwang Soo grabs his hyung by the arm and drags him across the room toward Ji Hyo and her assistant. He nods to Ji Hyo and turns to Cherry, who is bent over trying to pull the zipper shut on Ji Hyo's backpack. He taps her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Cherry, Jong Kook is going to stay with me tonight, all right? We've both got to be here so early and he and I have something to discuss."

Cherry looks up and nods to him distractedly before turning back to the stubborn zipper, giving it one last successful yank before standing up and slinging it over her shoulder.

Jong Kook inclines his head toward the woman awkwardly, feeling a bit weird to be invited to a stranger's house by a third party.

"Hi," he says. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Kim Jong Kook."

Cherry gives Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo a wide-eyed look of shock as if to say,  _"Can you believe this guy?"_

"Jong Kook oppa!," Ji Hyo exclaims. "You've met my assistant several times, I'm sure of it."

Cherry rolls her dark brown, almost black eyes and sticks out a hand. "Charity," she says.

"Ah," He recognizes the English word. Jong Kook shakes her hand briskly and switches to English for the assistant's comfort. "We met at a charity event? I'm sorry, I don't quite recall, I hope you'll forgive me." He flashes his most charming smile.

She snorts and replies in fluent if slightly accented Korean. "My  _name_  is Charity." She drops his hand.

"Oh, I... uh... " he stumbles, trying to recover. "Then for sure we haven't met, I'd remember such a unique name." When in doubt, try flattery.

She raises her eyebrows. "You'd think so." She turns to Kwang Soo. "It's fine, I'll see you there in a bit." She turns back to Ji Hyo and gestures to the door with her head, indicating that she's finished talking to the two men. The two women head out of the building toward the parking lot, talking quietly to each other. Ji Hyo shoots one last disapproving look over her shoulder at Jong Kook as the door swings shut behind them.

Kwang Soo and Jong Kook follow just a few moments behind.

"Kwang Soo, I don't think she likes me. I probably shouldn't go there."

"That's just how she is, hyung, you'll get used to it. It'll be fine. I bet she won't even be there." They slide into opposite sides of Kwang Soo's car. "But you're right, she probably doesn't like you. I wouldn't like you either if you kept forgetting we'd met."

"I swear I haven't met her before!," Jong Kook exclaims as Kwang Soo pulls smoothly into traffic. "I don't think I have. I really don't." He follows Kwang Soo's occasional turns with his eyes as he absently stares out the window on their short drive through downtown Seoul. As he watches streetlights zip past, he wracks his brain for any memory of the woman he just spoke to. Nothing stands out. Dark brown hair, dark brown eyes... he already forgets the details of her face. He frowns, chagrined. Maybe he  _is_  kind of an asshole. 

His thoughts are halted when Kwang Soo swings the car into an underground garage and rolls down his window to punch in a pin code. The arm of the automatic gate swings up to allow them entry and the giraffe proceeds to the lowest level of the structure. "There's a private elevator down here," Kwang Soo explains. "Cool, huh?" He beams at his hyung as they both fold their bodies out of the car, slamming the doors. 

Jong Kook laughs. "It's not like it's your apartment, Kwang Soo. Or are you hoping it will be one day?" He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"Hyuuuuung!," Kwang Soo whines as they approach a bank of elevators. One of the three, the farthest to the left, is framed in red and has a discreet keypad to one side. Kwang Soo again punches in a pin and the doors slide open instantly. Upon entering, Jong Kook notices there are only buttons for the 13th, 14th, and 15th floors. Kwang Soo hits the button corresponding to the top floor and the high speed elevator zips upward. It slides open again to reveal a long hallway with one apartment door at each end, the whole upper level belonging to just the two living spaces.

Kwang Soo heads to the left and keys in the pin to open the door, pushing through and standing aside for Jong Kook to enter. A short hallway leads to an enormous wide open living space. Huge white couches fill the area, looking spare but comfortable. They're pointed at a huge wall-mounted plasma screen, a sleek black console table underneath holding what Jong Kook assumes to be " _all_  the video games" Kwang Soo mentioned. The television is flanked by two closed doors.

Directly opposite the television, across the vast living room, is a small but well-appointed kitchen. High end appliances pair with granite counters to give a modern appearance. Glass-fronted cabinets reveal neat stacks of black dishes and frosted glasses.

Jong Kook stands silently a few steps in the door, taking in the atmosphere. It's clean and largely undecorated aside from the furniture. Stairs to his left lead up to a small upstairs area that he can't see from where he's standing. A small hallway beside the stairs leads to a bathroom, it's door slightly open. He's shaken out of his silent awe as Kwang Soo brushes past him and into the living room, tossing his backpack onto a round chair and collapsing onto one of the large couches.

"Hyung, come in!," he calls.

Jong Kook hurriedly kicks his sneakers off into a small cubby by the door, roughly stuffing them in beside Kwang Soo's. He trails across the apartment, swiveling his head back and forth as he does so. He drops onto the couch perpendicular to the one his long-limbed friend is occupying, leaning forward to run his finger over one of the low, square marble coffee tables in the center of the seating area. He whistles quietly.

" _How_  much does Ji Hyo pay? I think I'm in the wrong field of work, Kwang Soo."

Kwang Soo chuckles at his friend's amazement, putting on an air of being unaffected by their clearly expensive surroundings. He himself had long since adjusted to Cherry's apartment, though his initial reaction was far less subdued than Jong Kook's quiet incredulity. 

"I don't think working for noona is all she does, hyung. She's always got her nose in a computer when she's here. SPEAKING OF computers, why haven't you emailed Hannah yet? What are you waiting for? It's not like she's going to reject you!"

Upon landing in Los Angeles, Jong Kook had texted everyone involved - Haha, Gary, and Kwang Soo - all the details about meeting Hannah. He spent his layover laboriously typing out his excitement through Kakao Talk, making sure to capture every moment and minute aspect of the meeting. For a while after his return, they asked him daily if he'd emailed yet. Then they asked once a week. Then less, as the answer was always, always the same, the questions always, always deflected. At this point, only Kwang Soo is pursuing him relentlessly, urging him constantly to make contact. 

Jong Kook sucks in air through his teeth as he considers the question. Kwang Soo is right. It's not like Hannah will reject him. Not only did  _she_  give  _him_  her contact information willingly, there's also the small matter of the two of them being soul mates, destined to be together forever.

"I think that's kind of the problem," he explains slowly. "You know I've never been super comfortable with women, though I've gotten significantly better in the last few years - I  _have_ , don't give me that look. So while I'm better at approaching women than I used to be, I don't know how to come at this situation appropriately. I feel like I'm holding all the cards and it's making me cautious. Of course I'm eager and excited to get to know her, but as far as she knows, I'm just a stranger who she passed some time with in the airport. The more time passes, the harder it gets, because I can't seem to rein in my enthusiasm for meeting up with her again. But for her, months have passed after a single, short conversation. She might not even remember who I am. How insane will I look if I suddenly appear out of nowhere asking to meet her again?"

"Does it matter if you appear insane, if you're going to end up together in the end anyway?"

"I've asked myself the same question over and over. Isn't it impossible for me to mess this up now? But I don't know. Something about that fortune teller... I just want to be cautious. And the longer I'm careful, the worse it's getting." He sighs, feeling hopeless. He knows Hannah will crop up again - she  _has_  to. But he can't help feeling like the opportunity to exert some influence over the situation is slipping away, day by day, moment by moment, because he can't figure out how to go about doing it. If it's even possible."

Kwang Soo is about to speak when they hear the sound of the keypad outside the apartment. The door swings open and Cherry shuffles in, eyes glued to her phone. The two men watch as she ambles over and sits on the bottom step, using one hand to unlace heavy black boots while the other holds the large smartphone close to her face, completely oblivious to their presence. She wears loose-fitting jeans heavily frayed at the cuffs and an oversized red hooded sweatshirt, also ragged at the cuffs. Her dark brown hair is piled precariously on top of her head and from where they're sitting, it appears she wears no makeup. Jong Kook stares intently, determined to commit her every nuance to memory to make up for his earlier apparent gaffe. Kwang Soo's mouth turns up at one side in an amused smile, aware of what Jong Kook is doing and tickled by the fact that the older male seems unaware that he's done the same thing at least twice before.

After some laborious one-handed work, she pitches each shoe down the hall in the vague direction of the door and stands, turning to climb the stairs without ever looking up from her phone.

Kwang Soo calls for her attention. "Cherry? Cherry? YAH, CHERRY!"

Her head snaps up from her phone and she pauses three stairs up. "Eh?" She looks slightly aggravated to be interrupted.

"We're, uh... here." Kwang Soo gestures to himself and Jong Kook.

"Ah." She jerks her head up once in acknowledgement and ascends another two stairs.

"Don't you want to... say anything? Hang out with us?"

"Oh." She turns to face them over the railing and addresses Jong Kook directly. "You can sleep in there." She points to the door to the left of the television. "Or sleep with Kwang Soo, I don't care. There's food in the fridge. Eat a lot of whatever you want. Bathroom's over here." She points down and behind herself to the slightly opened door Jong Kook had guessed was the bathroom. "Stay out of my room."

She takes another step then turns back one more time. "And no, I don't want to hang out."

She trudges up the last couple stairs and looks back down one more time, clearly an afterthought. "Uh, thanks. Bye." She disappears through a door near the top of the stairs, shutting it firmly behind herself.

Kwang Soo grins at Jong Kook. "Great, huh? It's like I have this whole place to myself."

Jong Kook is totally taken aback by their host's total indifference to her guests. "Sure... great."

The taller man stands. "Let's go eat, I'm starving." He leads the way to the kitchen, Jong Kook following slowly as he checks out the view through the floor to ceiling windows that run the length of one side of the apartment. When he arrives in the kitchen, Kwang Soo's head has disappeared inside the fridge. 

"What do you want to eat, hyung? Anything you want is here, probably. Cherry cooks when she's thinking and she always has too much food. I felt bad eating two meals a day here at first, but if it doesn't get eaten, she just throws it out and makes more."

"Sounds like time better spent at the gym," Jong Kook observes, hip checking his dongsaeng out of the way to look in the fridge for himself.

"I dare you to say that to Cherry," Kwang Soo laughs.

"No, thank you. I feel like we already got off on the wrong foot."

"Yeah, several times!"

Jong Kook shakes his head, still disbelieving he met and forgot the woman so many times. He normally pays such careful attention to interactions with women, especially English-speaking and American women. Or at least, he  _had_... until he met Hannah and dropped his focus on every little interaction that could lead him to her. He sighs and runs a hand over his face, realizing now how perfectly possible his rude ignorance could be. After meeting Hannah, he barely acknowledged another woman, every female who isn't her slipping past his eyes with hardly a polite gesture of acknowledgement. 

"Ugh, I  _am_  a jerk," he says. "Oh? Is this grilled chicken?" He pulls a container from the fridge and peeks inside.

"Yep, and here's some steamed vegetables." Kwang Soo hands him another container he'd been holding and Jong Kook moves away to warm up his forraged food. Kwang Soo helps himself to some cold spaghetti and meatballs. His hyung turns up his nose.

"I can't help it," Kwang Soo grins sheepishly. "It's so good."

In short order, the two men are sitting next to each other at the long dining table, eating in companionable silence.

Kwang Soo breaks their reverie. "Hyung, let's email Hannah."

Jong Kook opens his mouth to object, then realizes he has no good reason to do so. He pulls out his wallet and his phone. Removing the scrap of paper from his wallet, he pulls up the email program on his phone. Kwang Soo leans in close.

"Yah, back up, Kwang Soo!" 

"I can't see what you're doing on that little screen! Pass it to me, I'll do it."

" _I_  will do it."

"Just let me --"

Cherry pads back down the stairs during the ensuing struggle, neatly bumping a precariously balanced glass of water out of harm's way as she passes. She's abandoned the cell phone and is now holding an open laptop on one hand, staring at it as she makes her way into the kitchen. She sets it down on the counter to peer into the fridge, removing two pieces of pizza. She bites one and carries the other in her hand, heading back the way she came.

"Cherry."

She turns at Kwang Soo's call from where he's now sitting on the floor, knocked from his seat by the stronger man.

"Hm?" The slice of pizza is still hanging from her mouth.

"Do you have a laptop we could use to send an email?"

She sets down her laptop and pulls the pizza from her mouth, rounding the table and heading into the living area. Rummaging under one of the couches, she pulls out an orange laptop and detaches it from the charger. She carries it over to the table and sets it in front of the two men. 

"This is a Chromebook - it only does Internet stuff." She opens it and performs a couple of quick motions. "Sorry, it's American. I loaded up the virtual Korean keyboard. Let me know if you need a regular laptop, I'll be done with this soon." She raises the MacBook she had carried downstairs as she picks it and her pizza back up. She climbs the stairs again.

"Don't you want to eat with us? Is that all you're going to eat? It's kind of late to eat that kind of -- "

Jong Kook is cut off by the slam of her bedroom door.

"Smooth, hyung." Kwang Soo laughs at him. "Okay, let's do this." He rubs his long-fingered hands together and pushes the computer toward Jong Kook.

The muscular man pushes his empty plate aside and pulls the computer close, pecking out the address of his email client carefully with one finger on each hand. Kwang Soo manages to contain himself until Jong Kook has logged in and pulled up a blank email, then yanks the laptop back in front of himself.

"I'll type, hyung. We do need to sleep at some point."

"Fair point. Okay. Let's start with, 'Dear Hannah,'"

"'Dear Hannah?' Is this elementary school? Is she your pen pal? How about 'Hi'?"

Jong Kook inclines his head to acknowledge Kwang Soo's point. "All right. Hi. I'm glad you're here, Kwang Soo." He offers a genuine smile to his dear friend, nudging their shoulders together gently.

Kwang Soo positively glows under the praise.

"Okay, so, what did you talk about at the airport again? Refresh my memory."

The two put their heads together for a long while, carefully crafting a casual but clearly interested email to the lovely Hannah. They're so engrossed that they both start when they hear the front door slam. Jong Kook looks around to see who came in.

"That was just Cherry," Kwang Soo said distractedly. "She won't be back tonight."

"What? It's almost 11:30 and we have to be at the Running Man shoot at 6am. Doesn't she go to assist Ji Hyo?"

"Probably."

"So she just left for the night? Where did she go? And wait, why do you call her Cherry?"

"Yes, she's gone. I don't know where she went, but I'm sure we'll see her at the shoot tomorrow if you want to ask her yourself. Hey, let's go over what we've got. 'Hi, how have you been --'" 

Jong Kook cuts into Kwang Soo's thickly accented English. "And you call her Cherry because... ? This is the weirdest night I've had in a while."

"Because when she met Ji Hyo the first time, noona  _thought_  she said her name was Che Ri and called her that for a long time before Cherry corrected her and told her that her name is Charity. Then when noona introduced  _me_ , she told me the story and how she had such a hard time breaking her habit of calling her Che Ri. We were joking around about it and -- look, it's just a nickname. Everyone calls her Cherry. 'Hi, how have you been? Well, I hope. Did your interview --"

"So you stay in her house and you don't even call her by her name?"

Kwang Soo slams his hands down, exasperated. "You sure are interested for someone who can't even remember meeting her repeatedly over the last few months."

Jong Kook feels his temper flare and wants to snap back, but knows he doesn't have a leg to stand on in this battle. He's been unforgivably rude, and despite that, still has a comfortable, convenient place to stay tonight. He mentally vows to remember to use her real name, though.

He nods for Kwang Soo to continue. The younger man eyes him warily to make sure a late attack isn't forthcoming, then starts over.

"Here's what we've got."

> _Hi,_
> 
> _How have you been? Well, I hope. I apologize for taking so long to make contact._
> 
> _Did your interview go well? I remember you said that if it did, you'd be coming to Korea. I assume you aced it and will be here shortly, if you're not already here._
> 
> _Let me know. I'd love to take you for a cup of coffee._
> 
> _Kim Jong Kook (from the airport)_

"Hyung, I don't think we need to add 'from the airport.' How many Kim Jong Kooks can she possibly know?"

"No, no, we need it. It's been a long time." He rolls his neck back and forth on his shoulders nervously. "Change 'I'd love to take you for a cup of coffee' to 'Maybe we can get together some time.'"

"No, we went over this. Don't be wishy-washy. It's perfect as it is. I'm sending it." Kwang Soo hovers the pointer over the send button.

"Wait!" Jong Kook grasps his hand suddenly. "What... what happens after we send it?" His hands and feet feel cold.

"I don't know, let's see."

He hits send.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 4600 words that went almost nowhere at all! Sorry!
> 
> Also, you're totally right, that is Do Min Joon's apartment. What can I say, it's badass.
> 
> See you again soon!


	12. Contact

_Kim Jong Kook!_

_I'm so excited to hear from you. I'd given up hope we were ever going to catch up in Korea. I wouldn't have been surprised, though - I Googled you on the plane and was so embarassed that I'd been talking to **The Commander**  and hadn't realized it. So sorry! My family always says I'm a little self-absorbed._

_My interview went **great**. I got in to the program! You must be good luck._

_I'm finishing up things in Philadelphia this week, then heading to an orientation in Los Angeles for a week. After that, I'm coming to Seoul! I'll be working and studying at Seoul National University Hospital at both the main branch and Gangnam Center, in addition to taking Korean classes at the University. It's going to be intense, but I'm really ready to get going._

_Can we get together when I arrive? I have only a few days before I jump into my schedule (and I know now that yours is probably crazy, too), but I'd love a chance to buy a meal for my good luck charm._

_Say yes!_

_I'll see you soon. I will!_

_Hannah (also from the airport)_


	13. Advice

Jong Kook waits for a dripping, sagging Kwang Soo to punch in the key code to Cherry's apartment. The two had visited the private gym one floor down. While Kwang Soo was far from unfamiliar with the gym himself, being heckled through a workout by Jong Kook was something else entirely. The tall man nearly collapses into the apartment, followed closely by his upbeat, energetic older friend.

Jong Kook looks around the apartment as he heads to the kitchen and helps himself to a cold glass of water.

"Kwang Soo, I'm not going to lie and say it's not weird, but you _do_ have a great setup going on here. How often do you stay here?" He offers his dongsaeng a glass of water as well and it's accepted gratefully.

Kwang Soo gulps down half the glass before he answers. "Three or four or five times a week, depending on my schedule."

Jong Kook is taken aback. "Really? That much?" They're leaning against opposite counters in the kitchen.

"And it doesn't bother Charity at all?"

"No, hyung, I told you, she's almost never even here, and even when she is, she doesn't mind having me around." He holds his hand out for Jong Kook's glass and sets them both in the sink.

"Yeah, but don't you think you should go home once in a while?"

The younger man shakes his head. "Mmm. I prefer to be here," he says vaguely, lifting his head at the sound of the keypad outside the door. He frowns as the door fails to open after one, two, three attempts. He walks out of the kitchen to investigate as Jong Kook pulls open the fridge to grab a couple of eggs for each of them, moving efficiently to scramble quickly them with no butter.

Jong Kook hears the door open and Kwang Soo's reaction.

"Hey, what -- oh, hey, good morning."

There's a small scuffling sound. Jong Kook sticks his head out of the kitchen just in time to see Charity's back as she plods up the stairs.

"Good morning... " he calls as she turns into the hall upstairs. She lifts a hand silently in response, not turning around or acknowledging his presence in any other way. Kwang Soo reappears beside him.

"Sometimes when she's really tired, she forgets the access code," he explains.

"Maybe that's why she doesn't mind having you around -- she'd be living in her hallway, otherwise." Jong Kook jokes.

“Hm,” Kwang Soo hums non-committally, eating his eggs with incredible speed. “Do you want to shower first or should I?”

“You go ahead, I’m going to read this email again.”

Kwang Soo grins. Jong Kook had checked his email immediately upon waking and shouted out with surprise to discover a response from Hannah. Kwang Soo awoke to the older man pounding on his bedroom door, yelling, “Get up! I got a response! Let’s go to the gym!” Jong Kook had read him the text of the short missive three times during their workout. How he was able to talk, to think, so effortlessly while performing a workout Kwang Soo likened to torture was beyond the younger man.

Jong Kook sits down on a stool at the kitchen counter, pulling out his cell phone to read Hannah’s email yet again. He feels like he’s in high school again, trying to analyze every sentence, every individual word. The email seems so straightforward, but still. She’s interested, right? She’s clearly interested. And interesting. She has to be interested. There’s no other possible path for her to take aside from interested. All he has to do is write back, and everything will start rolling downhill.

He opens a blank email response and hovers his thumbs over the keyboard.

Nothing. Why does he feel so much pressure to get this right? She’s going to love him in the end no matter what, right? So just say anything. Anything at all.

He forces himself to start. “Dear Hannah,” he types. He remembers Kwang Soo’s pen pal crack from the previous evening and deletes the two words.

He tries again. “Hey.” Better. “Congratulations. I knew you’d make it.”

He pauses again, chewing on his lower lip.

“Do you want to… “ He deletes again.

“Ugh!,” he grunts in frustration.

“Sorry, I don’t do mornings well.”

He lifts his head, startled to see Charity standing against the opposite counter near the coffee machine, looking unimpressed with his outburst. He hadn’t even heard her come downstairs, so intent was his focus on the two sentences he’d managed in the last ten minutes.

She’s wearing jeans and an oversized gray t-shirt with “C’est La Vie” printed on the front. Her hair is once again up in a bun that looks completely, deliberately careless. As if it takes effort to make it look so messy and disheveled. Her face is bare, dark circles ringing her heavy-lidded eyes, looking more than just a little run down.

He realizes he’s spent a telling amount of time taking in her appearance. “No, I… uh… wasn’t… talking about… I didn’t even notice you,” he finishes lamely.

She cocks a brow and snorts at him, turning back to the single cup coffee brewer as her drink hisses into a mug.

“You know, coffee isn’t --” He stops himself as she dumps a ton of milk and loads spoon after spoon of sugar into her mug. “Well, I guess that’s not coffee anymore so it hardly matters.”

She leans her back against the counter and blinks at him slowly, staring directly at him as she deliberately takes a long sip of her concoction.

“I am not winning many points with you, am I?” he asks ruefully.

She shakes her head slowly and turns to head out of the kitchen without saying more.

“I --- wait. Please.”

She turns back.

“You’re a girl, right?”

She turns to leave again.

“Wait! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just… I’m trying to answer this email from a woman, and I don’t want to come across too strong. Do you mind… ?” He looks at her pleadingly.

She tilts her head to the side, considering. “What are you trying to say?” Her voice is low and hoarse, like she’d been talking or yelling too long.

“I want to ask her out.”

“Over email?” Charity isn’t impressed.

“It’s a weird situation. I don’t have her phone number.”

“But you want to go out with her.”

“Yes. Definitely. I have to.”

“Ooookay. You _have_ to go out with her, but you don’t want to come on too strong.”

“I said, it’s a weird situation.”

Charity is intrigued now, though she schools her face quickly in an effort to remain impassive. She steps forward and leans against the kitchen island where he’s sitting.

“Have you emailed her before?”

“Yes, last night.”

“And she said no?” She hides a grin.

“No, no!” Jong Kook is vaguely affronted. “She said she’d like to take me out for a meal sometime.”

“So what’s the problem? Let her take you out.” She’s confused.

“No, I can’t. I mean, I can, it’s just… that’s not how I want this to go. I want to take _her_ out.”

“Oh, sexist, then?”

“I’m not!”

“Then you have a problem with a woman taking the lead?”

“No, I don’t, it’s not like that at all. I’m not as shy as I used to be, but I actually still prefer women to approach me first.” He’s feeling defensive and Charity is clearly enjoying his discomfort.

“And she asked you out, right? So I’m sorry, I’m still not following the problem. I’m trying, really, I am.” She holds up her hands in a gesture of sincerity. “Tell me what you’re looking to get across and I’ll try to help. For… “ she glances over her shoulder at clock on the wall. “the next five minutes.”

“Okay. Yes, it’s true she did ask if she could take me out, but in the context as repayment for a favor. I don’t want her to take me out to repay me, I want to take her out because… “ He shifts uncomfortably and feels his cheeks flush.

“Ah, I get you.” Charity nods. “Okay, so you don’t want to come on too strong, but you want to make your intentions clear. You don’t want to be _friends_.”

“Right.”

“Okay, I think… “ She sips her coffee contemplatively. “I think what you need to do is invite her somewhere specific. You can’t just turn it around on her and say, ‘No, I want to take you out.’ No. That's strange and kind of a little distasteful. I mean, maybe she's into that kind of thing - the man taking the lead as a matter of course - but it's just awkward. Instead, you need to invite her somewhere where you are comfortable or you have some kind of social upper hand. Make it clear that you're taking _her_  out without throwing her over your shoulder like a caveman. Plus, you'll also feel more confident on familiar territory. Don't take her up on her offer to take you out, but instead, just _tell_  her - politely, of course - where _you're_  taking _her_.”

Jong Kook nods slowly, following where she’s going. “I could invite her to my gym,” he suggests.

Charity makes an expression of clear distaste, the corners of her mouth turning downward.

“She likes to work out and she’s new to the area, so I could take her to my gym and then out to lunch.” He’s warming to the idea, already feeling more comfortable with the as of yet still imaginary date.

“I guess if you’re going to take her someplace you’re comfortable, that would be… an option,” Charity allows. “I was thinking more of a favorite bar, but your idea is good, too.” She doesn’t look convinced even as she says the words.

Jong Kook taps the screen of his phone to light it up again. “Okay! So I’ll say ‘Hey, blah blah blah...’” He’s looking down, concentrating as he types laboriously with his thumbs. “And then I’ll say, ‘When we see each other, I’ll take you to my gym and then to lunch.’”

Charity shrugs, downing the rest of her coffee. “The gym is a weird date, but” she switches to English “Whatever floats your boat.”

Jong Kook laughs out loud. “She likes to work out. I like to work out. I like my gym. I think you’re absolutely right about taking her someplace I feel comfortable. Besides, the only other place I go is work. Thanks a lot, Charity. You’ve been very helpful. You have definitely --” he switches to English, too. “floated my boat.” He smiles at her sincerely, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She discreetly steps a bit to the side, shifting his hand off of her, and moves to put her cup in the sink. “Not a problem.” She leaves the kitchen, heading back upstairs. “Oh,” she calls over her shoulder. “If you’re going to stay again, get the access code from Kwang Soo.” A door at the top of the stairs closes, ending the interaction effectively.

Kwang Soo enters the kitchen just a moment later, running a small towel over his still-damp hair. “Making friends, hyung?”

“I don’t know if I’d say that. She’s not my biggest fan. She was helping me with my response to Hannah, though. She’s pretty insightful.” Jong Kook hops up from his stool. “You done in the bathroom?”

“I am, go ahead. Hurry up, we have to leave in twenty minutes.”

Jong Kook groans. “Why do you need so much time in the bathroom? It’s not like you come out looking any better than when you went in.”

“I’m very long. I have a lot to wash,” Kwang Soo sniffs.

Jong Kook laughs as he heads into the bathroom, tucking his phone back into the pocket of his shorts without sending the email, wanting to run over the wording in his mind a few times in the shower before he lets it go.

He emerges fifteen minutes later dressed in black shorts and a zip up hooded sweatshirt, hair still damp but carefully arranged as always. He slings his bag over his shoulder and tucks his phone in his pocket. "My manager just called, he's waiting downstairs for us. Should we call Charity down to ride with us?"

"You can, but she won't," Kwang Soo replies, picking up his own bag. "She's never taken me up on an offer of a ride, even if we're going the same way. She likes to be alone." He shrugs, heading for the door.

"Ah," Jong Kook nods as if he understands, but he doesn't. Why wouldn't she ride with them if they're all going to the same place? "Oh, Kwang Soo. She told me if I wanted to stay again, I should get the access code from you. Do you think that means she likes me?"

The tall man laughs. "It means she doesn't want to get out of bed to open the door if you stay again, hyung."

"But she wants me to stay again, right?" Jong Kook presses, still uneasy with the idea of crashing at a virtual stranger's house, but unable to deny the comfort and convenience the location would offer on occasion.  _Especially_  since it sounds like Hannah will be living and working in the city in just a couple short weeks.

"I promise you, she doesn't care either way," Kwang Soo explains patiently. "She does not care. At all."

Jong Kook frowns. "Okay... yah, Charity!," he yells in the direction of the closed door at the top of the stairs. "We're leaving!"

Silence.

"We'll see you at the shoot!," he tries again.

Silence.

Kwang Soo laughs and slings his arm around his friend's shoulder as the head out the apartment door, pulling it closed behind them. "You get used to it, hyung." He punches the elevator button and it opens immediately. They step inside.

"So, tell me what you're going to say to Hannah," he asks as the doors slide shut.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I struggled with getting this chapter out because I have this idea that every chapter has to have some kind of significant event. After thinking on it and thinking on it and trying to come up with an event that fit the flow of the story as I have it planned, I realized there just isn't one. Sometimes it's all woo woo and sometimes it's exposition, and that's the way it is, right? But I've moved us forward to the next point of action, and I've already gotten a significant start on it.
> 
> Please let me know what you're thinking so far and I'll see you again soon!


	14. Chatting

Jong Kook and Kwang Soo arrive back at Running Man shoot location just a couple of minutes behind Jae Suk and Suk Jin. Gary and Haha follow, one behind the other. Ji Hyo, as usual, takes her time to arrive.

The men pass the time by chatting and poking fun at each other. One particular dig at Jong Kook's still-damp hair has him beckoning to his coordinator for a hat, pulling it low over his eyes in annoyance.

"If Kwang Soo didn't spend half the day flirting with himself in the mirror, I would have had time to fix it," he huffs in annoyance.

"Hyung!" Kwang Soo defends himself. "I could barely stand up after that workout this morning, I needed the hot water to recuperate."

"I worked out, too!"

"Yeah, but you clearly had something else on your mind. Gary hyung, ask him."

"No, no way," Gary replies. "I'm done with that."

"Seriously!," Kwang Soo urges. "Haha hyung. Ask him. Just one more time."

Kim Jong Kook's face is flaming.

"Uuuuhhwaahhh," Haha exlaims. "Look at his face! He did it! He actually did it!"

"Oh my God!," Gary bellows. He and Haha each grab an arm, leading Jong Kook to a nearby bench. They each press a hand to one of his shoulders, thumping him down on the seat and crowding around him. Kwang Soo follows with an almost gleeful bounce in his step.

"Tell us all of it," Haha demands. 

"Wait, wait, me, too!" Ji Hyo comes running up to the group, out of breath. "Oppa! Did I miss anything?"

Jong Kook laughs self-consciously. "No, not yet."

"So talk!," Gary shouts. "We've been waiting for you to do this forever."

"Okay, okay," Jong Kook smiles. "I sent her an email last night."

"I made him do it!," Kwang Soo interjects proudly.

Jong Kook nods once in acknowledgement of Kwang Soo's part in the miracle. "And she replied this morning," he finishes.

"That's it?" Haha is disappointed.

"She said she wants to get together. SHE said that. SHE wants to get together with ME." Jong Kook is still in a bit of a state of disbelief that all he's been waiting for is finally happening.

Four hands rise simultaneously and he high fives his friends one at a time.

A coffee suddenly appears at Ji Hyo's elbow and she steps aside. "Good morning, Cherry, THANK YOU," she says, accepting the coffee gratefully. The assistant is still wearing the same clothes as this morning, but looks a bit less exhausted. She has an enormous iced coffee of her own in her hand.

"Yah, Charity, didn't you have a cup of coffee already this morning?," Jong Kook chides.

She rolls her eyes at him as she turns to walk away without answering.

"Oppa!" Ji Hyo exclaims. "Did you make my assistant mad?"

Jae Suk and Suk Jin approach the group as the woman walks away.

"Yah, Jong Kookie, did you forget you met Cherry again?" Jae Suk is clearly amused.

"How does EVERYONE know her except for me?" Jong Kook bursts out in frustration. 

Suk Jin shakes his head. "You're a bad man, Kim Jong Kook."

The Running Men move in front of the cameras to do the show opening. While listening to instructions, Jong Kook glances across the space to watch Charity speaking with Ji Hyo's coordinator and her manager. No matter how hard he's thought about it, he really can't remember meeting her before yesterday. She turns her head from the conversation for a moment and they make eye contact. She opens her eyes widely and blinks slowly at him as she raises her straw to her mouth and drains the last quarter of the enormous coffee. She smirks and turns away again.

He shakes his head and directs his focus back to what's happening with the show.

* * *

On a brief break, Kwang Soo, Gary, and Haha are huddled around Jong Kook and his phone, all with varying opinions on what he should write back to Hannah.

Gary says, "You've got to be cool. Just tell her, 'Sure, we can have a meal together,' and leave it at that."

"No, no, no," Haha disagrees for the thirtieth time. "There's no point in playing it cool. He should say, 'I'll come pick you up at the airport and take you to look at apartments for us to live in forever.' OOF." The air is knocked out of the little man as Jong Kook elbows him in the ribs.

"What did Cherry say, hyung?," Kwang Soo asks.

Haha and Gary lift their heads in shock. "Cherry spoke to you?," Haha asks. "After what a jerk you always are to her?"

"I'm not a jerk!," Jong Kook protests. "I just... I'm a jerk," he admits sheepishly. "But she did talk to me a bit this morning. She said that I should invite Hannah to someplace I feel comfortable and would have a social upper hand."

Kwang Soo laughs. "So what are you going to do, invite her to your gym?" The two other men laugh as well.

Jong Kook is silent.

"Hyung! You can't!," Haha shouts in disbelief.

"It's a good idea! Hannah likes to work out and eat healthy, so I can take her to my gym and then to get some food together. It will work because if it's a little awkward, we don't have to talk as much while we work out."

"Plus you'll get to see her in workout clothes." Kwang Soo waggles his eyebrows and Jong Kook lifts a threatening hand, already feeling protective of Hannah.

"Let me read you what I've got." Jong Kook looks down at his phone.

> _Hey, Hannah,_
> 
> _Congratulations. I knew you'd make it._
> 
> _How can I contact you when you get to Korea? Do you need help getting set up with a phone and service? Let me know, I'd be happy to help._
> 
> _Until then, why don't you download the Kakao app? It's how I keep in touch when I'm traveling._
> 
> _My name on there is kjk76. Message me when you can. When you get here, I'll take you to my gym and then to lunch so you can get a feel for the area._
> 
> _See you soon,_
> 
> _Kim Jong Kook (from Korea)_

The men look back and forth between each other while Jong Kook waits for the verdict.

"I think..." Kwang Soo starts.

"Oh, no, I sent it!" Jong Kook starts frantically jabbing at buttons on his phone. He looks up at his friends desperately. "I actually sent it! How do I get it back?"

Gary and Haha double over in laughter at the older man's distress.

"I guess you're definitely taking her to the gym now, you weirdo," Gary wheezes between laughs.

Jong Kook drops his head into his hands and Haha pats him on the back consolingly. "There's nothing you can do about it now, hyung. It's fine. The email was fine. You're going to be fine."

Jong Kook lifts his head hopefully. "You think so?"

"Offering to help with phone service was a nice gesture," Kwang Soo says brightly.

"And Kakao Talk, too," Gary picks up on what Kwang Soo is trying to do. "She'll need that. She'll remember you suggested it when she finds it useful."

The three other men cast each other looks that Jong Kook doesn't fail to notice. He groans and drops his head in his hands again.

Kwang Soo and Gary look at Haha expectantly. He shrugs. "I'm sure you... spelled everything correctly. She'll like that."

The PD calls them back over to finish filming. Jong Kook runs his hands over his face and trudges over, spending the next couple of hours deliberately setting the debacle out of his mind.

* * *

Filming stretches late into the evening for the second day in a row. Everyone is exhausted by the end, trudging away from the cameras and toward their belongings. Cherry appears at Ji Hyo's elbow out of nowhere, immediately launching into a quiet discussion about the next day's packed schedule. The increasingly popular actress hardly ever takes a break, despite her sleepy reputation.

Jong Kook's manager walks alongside him, handing him his bag. "I switched out your gym clothes for clean ones from the car."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Are you ready --"

Kwang Soo pops up beside them. "Are you coming with me tonight, hyung?"

"I... hadn't thought about it, to be honest," Jong Kook replies. As he's about to answer further, his phone chimes in his pocket. He pulls it out and checks the notification on the screen.

_**Hannahbanana799476:**  Kim Jong Kook!_

Jong Kook looks at Kwang Soo, face painted with shock, and tosses his phone in the air like a hot potato. The taller man lunges to catch it, just making the grab. 

"What? What?" He looks down at the phone. "Oooooh." He says a few words to Jong Kook's manager, then slings an arm around his friend.

"Well. Here we go, hyung." He grins at his friend.

* * *

Jong Kook barely registers Kwang Soo gently leading him to his own manager's car and guiding him in. He's too focused on his phone.

_**kjk76:** Hannah Banana! No problem getting Kakao Talk, then?_

_**Hannahbanana79946:**  Nope! Super easy. But you're my only friend in the world._

_**kjk76:**  I'm sure that's not true._

_**Hannahbanana799476:** Well, you're my only friend on Kakao Talk._

_**kjk76:**  Now that sounds more possible. I'm sure it won't last._

_**Hannahbanana799476:** How have you been?_

_**Hannahbanana799476:**  I was so excited to hear from you!_

_**Hannahbanana799476:** Did I already say that? _

_**kjk76:**  I'm not sure, but I don't mind if you say it again._

_**Hannahbanana799476:**  I'M SO EXCITED! I'M SO EXCITED TO HEAR FROM YOU! I'M SO EXCITED TO COME TO KOREA! I'M SO EXCITED TO SPEND 14 HOURS ON A PLANE! NO I'M NOT BUT IT'S FINE! I'M SO EXCITED!_

Jong Kook laughs softly as he trails behind Kwang Soo, charmed all over again by Hannah's exuberant personality. Kwang Soo watches his friend's face, smiling himself as well. It's been so long. Jong Kook has waited so long for the right person to come along. No matter how it ended up happening, the man deserves the beginning flickers of happiness he's experiencing now. Just watching him with his phone, he looks like a little kid, unable to contain his spontaneous grins and little laughs as he chats back and forth with Hannah. He carefully steers the muscular man into an elevator and then out again when it arrives at its top floor destination. At the end of the hall, he pauses.

"Hyung," he says. "Hyung," he repeats patiently, waiting for Jong Kook to drag his eyes away from his phone.

"Hm?" Jong Kook lifts his head and looks surprised to find himself standing outside Cherry's apartment.

"Four... eight... nine... four."

"What?" Jong Kook is puzzled.

"The door code. 4894. It also works in the elevator and to get into the garage."

"Oh. Oooooh," he finally grasps what Kwang Soo is telling him. "4894. Got it. Though I don't expect I'll need it too much."

"Really?" Kwang Soo punches in the code and swings the door wide to let Jong Kook pass through first. "Won't Hannah be living and working nearby here?"

"Probably," Jong Kook allows. He takes a moment to think about how it will be when Hannah arrives. If he's close by, they can go to the gym together even if they're both pretty busy, which he is and it sounds like she will be. They could grab meals together when they both find themselves with a free moment, without having to make elaborate plans involving traffic and travel. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, his eyes closing briefly as he considers the ways his life is about to change for the better, in the direction he's always hoped it would go. It's so strange to have it all be so close now, after the rollercoaster experience of the last few years. Spending so much time alone and coping with failed relationships and false starts, then to be told by the mysterious and, frankly, quite strange fortune teller that there was no end in sight for him? That was it forever? And now, here he is, texting back and forth with the woman meant for him. Images of the green eyes and brash laugh that have haunted his imagination for the last year or so spring to his mind unbidden. It's really happening. It's still so hard to grasp, but it's happening.

The two men have settled onto the large couches while Jong Kook was lost in his own thoughts. 

"I'm going to get some food, hyung, can I make something for you?"

"Yes, please. Nothing gross," he warns as he turns his attention back to his phone.

_**kjk76:**  So you're excited? You seem a little excited._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Ha ha, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. Yes! I'm excited. I'm excited to come to Korea, I'm excited to finish up my degrees, and I'm excited to go to the gym with you. Great idea, by the way._

"Ha!," Jong Kook crows triumphantly. Kwang Soo sticks his head out of the kitchen. "She wants to go to the gym with me! She thinks it's a great idea!" The older man jabs a pointing finger in the direction of his phone several times. "She thinks it's a GREAT. IDEA," he emphasizes.

Kwang Soo shakes his head and retreats back to the kitchen where he has some simple dishes from Cherry's fridge warming. He calls over your shoulder, "Shouldn't have doubted you. She's  _your_  soul mate after all. Of course she's a nut job."

Jong Kook just grins and lets the jab slide by. Another message chimes as the front door opens and Cherry enters, kicking off sneakers so beat up they don't even require untying. Jong Kook raises a hand in her direction as she enters the kitchen and chats with Kwang Soo.

_**HannahBanana799476:** I'd actually just come from the gym when I got your email this morning. I really love my gym and I wasn't looking forward to finding a new one._

_**kjk76:**  I think you'll like mine. I like it. It's never too crowded but there's always someone around who can offer help or advice._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Isn't that what I have you for? ;)_

Jong Kook blushes bright red just as Cherry and Kwang Soo enter the room with plates. Kwang Soo sets one down in front of him and takes a seat beside him. Cherry curls up in an oversized chair across the room with a plate of pasta balanced on her knees.

"Oooh, hyung. You're so red! Did your chat...  _take a turn_?" He grins wolfishly.

"No! No! Of course not! No! No!" Jong Kook sputters.

"The girl he wants to go out with contacted him on Kakao Talk and they're chatting now," Kwang Soo explains to Cherry. She nods.

"Your advice was great, thank you, Charity," Jong Kook directs to the woman.

"I did  _not_  tell you to take her to a gym, that was all you. But you didn't actually --" she looks at his face. "You did. You said you're going to take her to the gym? Oh my lord." She shakes her head and directs her attention to her food.

Jong Kook bristles at her derision. Even though he logically understands that he doesn't deserve her kindness, he doesn't  _remember_  being a total jerk, which makes her prickly attitude hard to bear.

"Why don't you join us? You look like you've had more than a few plates of that pasta since your last visit."

He regrets the words the second they leave his mouth, but can't stop them.

Kwang Soo gasps. Charity glares. She opens her mouth to speak, but her own phone chimes at exactly that instant. She glances at it, then stands silently and marches away. Tossing her plate into the sink with a clatter, she jogs up the stairs to her room and slams the door.

"Hyung," Kwang Soo whispers, shocked.

"I... well... it's true!," Jong Kook exclaims defensively. "She's not thin. I was just... " he trails off lamely. "Oh my god, I'm SUCH a jerk." He drops his head into his hands for the fortieth time that day. "She's just so irritating! I couldn't stop myself."

Kwang Soo shakes his head and looks down at his plate, unable to even look at Jong Kook, not knowing at all what to say.

"I'll apologize," Jong Kook offers. "I'll tell her I'm sorry and I'll offer to take her to the gym."

Kwang Soo chokes on a mouthful of rice. "DO NOT DO THAT. Hyung!" Kwang Soo sounds almost desperate, his own feelings out of proportion with the actual situation. "You know as well as I do that American women do not appreciate comments on their bodies. Do NOT offer to take Cherry to the gym. DO NOT. DO NOT. DO NOT."

"Whoa, whoa, Kwang Soo, calm down!" Jong Kook puts a hand on his friend's knee, taken aback by his urgency. He turns to face the panicked giraffe. "I won't. I won't. Why are you so freaked out about this?"

Kwang Soo shakes his head. "I just... need to keep staying at this apartment, ok? Don't mess this up for me." He stares down at his plate again, shoveling food into his mouth and refusing to look up.

"Oooo... kay." Jong Kook watches Kwang Soo for a moment longer before looking back at his phone and blushing all over again.

**_kjk76:_ ** _I'm happy to help with anything you need as soon as you get here. I even recently met an American woman I can introduce you to. Maybe that will help you get acclimated more quickly._

_**Hannahbanana799476:** It's actually important to me that I do this on my own. A lot has gone on in the last year and some big changes in my life factored into my decision to go to Korea. I'm not without a support system, but I really feel like I need to do this for myself. A big adventure, all on my own, you know?_

Jong Kook shifts in his seat on the couch, wanting to inquire about those "big changes," but hesitant to do so. He wonders if those big changes were triggered by his own actions. What happened to make Hannah come to Korea? Something good? Something bad? Something driven by his name scrawled loopily into Ji Ji Min's battered notebook?

_**Hannahbanana799476:**  Well, all on my own plus a gym buddy. :)_

He grins, all concerns fluttering away out of his mind at her new message.

**_kjk76:_ ** _What time is it where you are now? Am I keeping you from something?_

_"Not that I care,"_  he adds mentally, but doesn't type.

_**Hannahbanana799476:**  It's almost 10am. I'm waiting for the movers to come and take a lot of my stuff from my apartment to storage at my parents' house. I should probably be cleaning and packing, but... ;) It must be almost midnight there, right?_

Jong Kook jolts as he hears the front door slam. He looks around and notices Kwang Soo is gone.

"Kwang Soo? Are you here?"

The taller man's head pops out of the doorway to the right of the massive television. "Yeah, hyung. Cherry left."

"She didn't... it's not because she's mad at me, is it?," Jong Kook worries.

"Eh, she's probably mad at you, but she got a text and left. She does that a lot."

"Where does she go this late at night?"

"Out." Kwang Soo pulls his head back into his adopted bedroom, clearly still annoyed with Jong Kook for his unkind words to Cherry.

_**kjk76:**  Yes, it's pretty late here. I just finished work, it runs into the night a lot. _

**_Hannahbanana799476:_ ** _My movers are here, so I've got to run and you should get some sleep. Talk again soon?_

_**kjk76:**  Definitely. Keep me updated._

_**Hannahbanana799476:**  Will do! See you so soon! XOXO_

"XOXO?," Jong Kook reads aloud. "XO... XO?" He leaps from his seat on the couch and barrels into Kwang Soo's room, toppling the man to the floor with his solid body and landing on top of him.

"KWANG SOO! SHE SAID XO XO!"


	15. Tentative Reconciliation

Jong Kook wakes up late the next morning. Late for him, anyway. Though he has no schedule until later in the morning, he's accustomed to waking before the sun no matter what the plans for the day are. However, he'd stayed up late the night before, deep in conversation with Kwang Soo. His kind-hearted friend had immediately forgotten his annoyance once Jong Kook had barreled him to the floor. He couldn't help it, he was so happy for his friend's happiness and had all the time in the world to listen to Jong Kook ramble on about his hopes for the future and how he imagined things would play out with Hannah. It was closing in on two when the pair finally separated for the evening.

Even with the hour so late, Jong Kook was restless and unable to sleep immediately. Having talked every aspect of the Hannah situation to death with Kwang Soo, he couldn't help but drift back to the uncomfortable moment with Charity earlier that evening. Something about her attitude just grates on him, even in the very few interactions they've had. He feels like he's been nothing but kind to her - unrecalled instances set aside - and he gets back nothing but venom. That's no excuse for what he said, of course. He winced just thinking about it, half disgusted with himself for saying something so unkind and half aggravated with himself for sinking to what he considers to be her level. Regardless, an apology was in order and he reclined quietly in the dark, straining his ears at every little sound, listening for her to come home. She didn't, and he eventually fell asleep shortly after 3am.

That's how he came to find himself waking up just before 6, more exhausted now than when he went to sleep. He curses his inability to sleep in even after only a couple hours of restless sleep. His head pounds and he excuses himself from the gym, mentally promising to hit it twice as hard the next day. Slipping a loose sleeveless shirt over his bare chest, he opens the door to Charity's guest room and heads to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Making his way through the still-dim apartment, he freezes upon hearing rustling in the kitchen, then squints as the lights suddenly flip on. Standing in front of the fridge with an enormous glass of water is a woman with her back to him, tousled dark hair falling all the way down to her lower back. She's wearing skin tight black leggings and a black moto jacket. She sets the water on the counter and cranes her head to the right, sliding the jacket off of her shoulder and apparently trying to peer at her own back.

Jong Kook approaches quietly, saying, "Uh, hello?"

She turns around and Jong Kook is taken aback - though he shouldn't have been surprised - to be face to face with Charity. Her eyes are ringed with heavy black liner smudged along her lashes, winging out dramatically at the corners. The remnants of red lipstick are faded onto her lips and her hair is rioting as if alive itself. She catches sight of him and slides her jacket back onto her shoulder, but not before he catches sight of what she was trying to see.

"Are those  _bite_  marks? Are you wearing makeup? Why do you have so much HAIR?" He fires questions at her rapidly, unable to process a totally different Charity so early in the morning.

She winces and stays silent as she downs her enormous glass of water. Jong Kook makes it the rest of the way toward the kitchen and reaches for his own glass, taking an involuntary step back at the odor of alcohol surrounding Charity.

She sets her glass down and holds her hand out for his, filling them both. "Why do you have so many words coming out of your face?," she moans, closing her eyes and making an enormous dent in her fresh glass of water.

"Are you just getting home?," he asks.

"Yes, mother," she says mockingly.

He feels his temper flash but holds it in, remembering the circumstances under which she left the night before. She sets her glass in the sink and eyes him up and down briefly before turning to leave.

"Wait," he says, reaching out and catching her by the shoulder. She hisses through her teeth and cringes under his hand, but he doesn't let go, drawing her backward gently. He eases the jacket back off her shoulder and slides the strap of her tank top aside, eyes widening at the broken skin surrounded by a darkening bruise. "This  _is_  a bite mark. Do you have a first aid kit?"

She tries to shrug his hand loose, but he remains firm. 

"Who bit you?"

She snorts, huffing out an incredulous puff of air.

He sighs, practically freezing to death in the frigid waves of annoyance pouring off of Charity's tense body.

"Fine. Let me clean it for you, though." He flexes his fingers on her upper arm, making it clear he has no intention of taking no for an answer. 

She gets the message. "In the bathroom, under the sink."

"Wait here." He jogs the short distance to the bathroom and pulls the first aid kit from the cabinet quickly, hurrying back to make sure she has no time to vanish up to her room. Surprisingly, she's exactly where he left her when he returns to the kitchen. "Sit here," he instructs, nodding to a stool at the island counter. He can tell she wants to disobey, bristling under his command, but she shocks him by doing it anyway, hopping up onto the stool and arranging herself with her back to him. She shrugs out of her jacket, letting it drop carelessly to the floor.

He slides the strap of the tanktop off her shoulder and hesitates for a second before sliding her bra strap out of the way as well. He whistles low as he assesses the damage. Indentations of a full set of teeth are visible, some just denting the skin but at least four marks have clearly broken through. The area is puffy and red with purple splotches seeming to deepen almost in front of his eyes. He sets the first aid kit on the counter and flips it open, rummaging through for some antibiotic cream. He finds a new tube and sets it on the counter.

"I'm going to clean it first, okay?" He doesn't wait for an answer and heads over to the sink, looking around for a cloth.

"Drawer to the right," Charity says.

"Ah." He pulls open the drawer and grabs a couple of thin dishcloths, wetting one and squeezing a small amount of antibacterial soap onto it. He leaves the other dry and carries both back around the counter. "This might hurt," he tells the disheveled woman, placing a steadying hand on her uninjured shoulder. She flinches as he starts to gently dab at the wound, marvelling at the depth of a couple of the punctures. "You actually might want to see a doctor for this," he says hesitantly. She shakes her head silently and he continues, doing his best to ensure the bite wound is as clean as possible, then drying it with the second cloth.

"How did this happen?," he asks, focused on his work of uncapping the antibiotic ointment and squeezing out a small amount. She laughs sardonically as he spreads the gel over the worst of the broken skin.

"I... made a small error in judgement," she responds, and he can hear the amusement in her voice. 

"But what were you  _doing?_ " He lays a piece of gauze over the spreading bruise and uses his other hand to find the medical tape still in the kit. She stays stiff under his hands, her spine looking like a steel rod.

She looks over her shoulder at him and smirks. He immediately flushes bright red.

"Never mind," he mumbles, securing the gauze pad to her skin with a few pieces of tape. "That will need to be changed later today," he tells her, noting a couple tiny dots of blood visible on the white gauze as he presses it secure with his hand. Their fingers brush as they both reach to pull her bra and shirt back onto her shoulder and he quickly pulls his away. She slides down from the stool as she fixes her clothing back into place and turns to face him.

She shifts her weight from foot to foot for a moment, looking a bit awkward and uncertain under her bold makeup. Finally, she says, "Thank you." She inclines her head toward him slightly and circles back around the counter to the sink to retrieve her glass, filling it and downing it again.

Jong Kook watches her silently, biting back the urge to comment on her obvious condition. Instead, he says, "Hey... I'm sorry about what I said last night. I didn't mean it."

She stiffens, turning her back toward him to place her cup in the sink again. "Forget about it."

"I was out of line. You've let me stay here without so much as blinking and I can't seem to say or do anything right where you're concerned. I shouldn't have --"

"Do you think I need to go to the gym?," she cuts him off, spinning back to face him.

"That's not the -- "

"It's a simple question, Kim Jong Kook-ssi." She stares at him directly. "Do you think I need to go to the gym?" She steps to the side, around the counter, so he can see her from top to bottom, white tanktop and skintight leggings.

He tries to keep looking at her face, but her gaze is challenging. His eyes reluctantly slide up and down her form quickly. She's quite short and has much bigger hips and chest than the women he sees regularly. Her thighs are thick but not flabby, her calves rounded and defined. Her stomach isn't fat, but isn't flat, either, just softly rounded below the deep curves of her waist. Her arms are neither wobbly nor toned. Her entire body is completely different than those he's used to seeing at the gym or even women just walking around Seoul. His gaze finally reaches her face and he finds her looking at him with eyebrows raised, waiting.

"You look different in the clothes you usually wear," he offers weakly.

She quirks a corner of her mouth, still waiting.

"I didn't mean it the way I said it, but... "

She smiles at him tightly, lips closed. "But you did mean it. Which is why I said to forget it." She bends down to pick up her jacket. "I don't need you to lie to me to make me feel better."

"It's not a lie that I'm sorry, though."

She nods, acknowledging this. She gestures to her shoulder. "Let's call it even, then, and drop it."

"Agreed." He sighs with relief and smiles widely, hoping some of the tension between them will disappear. "And thanks for letting me stay here the last couple of nights, it's been really helpful."

She's already heading out of the kitchen, looking more beat down by the second. "It's not a problem, stay whenever you want. Get the door code from Kwang Soo." She heads up the stairs.

"4894," he says. "Got it."

She extends an arm and gives him a thumbs up as she disappears up the stairs. 

Jong Kook remains in the kitchen, sipping his water and opening the fridge to grab the makings of his standard morning health shake. Just as he's about to turn on the blender, Kwang Soo exits the other guest room with a towel tossed over his arm, headed for the shower. He stops by the kitchen on his way.

"Morning, hyung." His eyes are heavy and his hair is wild. "We stayed up much too late last night." He barely gets the sentence out before a wide yawn splits his face.

"Mmm. Do you have a schedule this morning?" He winces sympathetically as he whizzes his shake together. "I stayed up later waited for Charity to get home so I could apologize, but she didn't come in until just a little bit ago." He pours some of his shake into a glass and offers Kwang Soo what's left in the pitcher. The taller man shakes his head vehemently.

"No, thank you, hyung. No THANK you." He screws his face up in distaste.

"Suit yourself," Jong Kook shrugs, downing the whole glass in one go.

"You said Charity is home? Did you end up apologizing to her?" Kwang Soo tries to disguise the anxiety in his voice, but they're too familiar with each other and Jong Kook can hear it coming through loud and clear.

"I did. I did. We're fine now, I think." He looks puzzled. "Actually, I don't know. I think we're fine?"

Kwang Soo laughs, a bit of tension easing out of his shoulders. "Yeah, that sounds like where most people figure they stand with her." He smiles fondly.

"You really like her, huh?" Jong Kook is beginning to feel a niggling suspicion about Kwang Soo's easy attitude toward the prickly woman and how at ease he is in her home.

"I do," Kwang Soo agrees, nodding. "She's hard to get to know. Actually, I wouldn't really say I  _do_  know her too well. She does warm up after a while. We've spent several nights out on the couches, talking and playing video games. She doesn't say a lot, but she listens." Jong Kook nods. "She's helpful and generous and so good with Ji Hyo. She's very funny, too."

"Uh huh," Jong Kook says disbelievingly, unable to imagine Charity smiling, let alone cracking a joke. 

Kwang Soo grins at him. "You just need to try harder with her, hyung. Especially if you're going to stay here, and I know you are. Though the rest of the cast will be annoyed if you take over the second bedroom like I've taken over the first one."

Jong Kook's jaw drops in shock. "Has  _everyone_  stayed here before except me?"

Kwang Soo nods. "Oh, yeah. Whenever someone has to stay in the center of the city, they stay here anymore. Like I told you, there's always food and she even leaves her spare car keys in case anyone needs them."

"Is she running some kind of hostel?," Jong Kook grumbles, rinsing his glass in the sink. 

"No, hyung," Kwang Soo explains patiently. "She's just very nice."

"Uh huh."

Kwang Soo's irritation from the night before begins to rise again. "Obviously, there's a reason why everyone's been invited to stay here except for you."

"Yah, Kwang Soo. I fixed her shoulder this morning and she told me to stay whenever I want. I'm invited." He's wounded, hating the idea that anyone dislikes him.

"Well, that's -- wait, what? You fixed her shoulder?"

The older man gestures to the first aid kit on still on the counter. "Yeah. When I came out of my room this morning, she was in the kitchen, and you're not going to believe this, she had --"

"A bite mark?"

"Yeah! How did you know? It was so -- yah, Kwang Soo!" Jong Kook watches as his long-legged friend dashes out of the kitchen mid-conversation. He follows him out in time to see Kwang Soo taking the stairs to the second floor three at a time, stopping in front of a closed door and banging his fist on it.

"Cherry! CHERRY!" BANG, BANG. "OPEN THE DOOR."

Jong Kook stands at the bottom of the stairs, looking up.

"I'm sleeping!," comes the muffled reply.

"Stop sleeping and come out here!"

"I won't!"

"Cherry!"

"Kwang Soo, go away!"

"Jong Kook-hyung says you have a bite mark on your shoulder. Open the door!" 

Jong Kook is bewildered by the whole scene. Kwang Soo seems... angry?

There's no reply from inside the room.

"CHERRY! WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Finally the lock on the bedroom door clicks and the door creaks open slowly.

"Let me -- YAH!" He quickly dodges a shoe that comes flying through the opening and down over the railing into the living room.

The door slams closed again. Kwang Soo lifts his hand to bang again, but apparently thinks better of it and heads back down the stairs with a deep sigh.

"What was  _that_  about?" Curiosity is killing Jong Kook.

Kwang Soo considers his answer carefully. "Cherry doesn't... always make great choices when she's stressed."

"You mean drunk," Jong Kook supplies, remembering the fumes coming off the woman during their first aid encounter.

"Same thing," Kwang Soo replies.

"So I take it that's not the first bite mark you've seen."

"No." Kwang Soo runs his hands over his face and Jong Kook can see the strain in his expression. "I told her - I  _told_  her - that if she feels like she needs to talk, she can talk to me any time, but she never does. Instead, she goes out and... " He trails off, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

Jong Kook gets the picture. "Well... she's an adult, Kwang Soo. She can make her own choices."

Kwang Soo says nothing but shoots his friend a look. After a moment, Jong Kook nods in acknowledgement of his point, remembering how swollen and tender the broken skin on Charity's back looked.

"Why?," Jong Kook asks simply.

"I don't really know." Kwang Soo sighs again. "I think she -- "

"No, I mean, why are you so concerned?"

"Jong Kook hyung, you've been so caught up in your own world since you set this Hannah thing in motion that you're oblivious to everyone and everything around you." He's looking at his hyung with an expression mixed between frustration and disgust. "Cherry's a  _person_. A person I  _like_. A person Ji Hyo likes. A person Jae Suk likes, and Gary likes, and all the PDs like.  _Everyone_  likes Cherry. And when you like someone, you care about her and her well-being. I know that things are kicking off with Hannah and you're excited, but try to come back to Earth with the rest of us soon, okay?" He snatches up his towel and heads to the bathroom without waiting for a response.

Jong Kook is chagrined. He sometimes feels he has to work so hard against the personality he's crafted for Running Man - the hot-tempered, bullying Commander. He tries to be kind, generous, and friendly with his family, friends, and fans in order to establish that he, himself - Kim Jong Kook - is a good guy. But when even ever-smiling and big hearted Lee Kwang Soo is giving him a lecture on his recent behavior, he has to admit that he hasn't been succeeding lately.

He washes his glass and puts it back in the cabinet, doing the same with the blender and its parts. As he does so, he mentally resolves to reach out to his friends, realizing that there are many he hasn't contacted in a while. He hasn't seen Haha's son in months and hasn't even made it to too many post-filming dinners with the casts of his various programs. Instead, he's kept his head down and a narrow focus on his own future, wearing blinders to everything that isn't the gym or his career, seeing only a straight path to where he plans to end up. Healthy, happy, successful. And with Hannah. He mentally beats himself up as he realizes other important pieces of his life have slipped to the wayside in his single-minded pursuit of his own goals.

"I  _am_  a jerk," he says to himself. Again. He dries the blender and puts it back where he found it, glancing around the kitchen to make sure everything is in order in an effort to begin making up his poor behavior, starting with Charity and her house. He wipes down the counters and tucks the gauze and ointment back into the first aid kit. Finding a broom in a small closet off the kitchen, he gives the floor a quick sweep, then takes the trash down to the trash shoot. Lastly, he picks up Charity's shoe from the center of the living room and sneaks up the stairs, leaving it outside her bedroom door silently. He's still thinking about how to approach the friends he's been neglecting and make up for his behavior when he finishes his tidying and heads back to his room to get ready for his own shower. He pushes open the door just as his phone chimes on the table beside the bed.

**_HannahBanana799476:_ ** _Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Are you awake? I bet you are! I have news!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to break this into two chapters because I got carried away! Expect the next one soon - with some forward momentum on the Hannah-front!
> 
> I'd really love to hear what you think.
> 
> See you again soon!


	16. New Plans

_**HannahBanana799476:** Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Are you awake? I bet you are! I have news!_

All thoughts of Charity and his neglected friendships fly from his mind as he reads Hannah’s newest message. He smiles, charmed as always by the exuberance that practically pours through the phone.

_**kjk76:** I am awake. What’s up?_

He sets the phone down on his bed and gathers what he needs to shower, choosing black shorts and a white t-shirt as his outfit for the day.

_**HannahBanana799476:** I got a call from my program director today - it turns out they only admitted TWO PEOPLE. And one is me!_

_**kjk76:** Wow! That’s really, really impressive!_

Jong Kook grins as he tosses a towel over his shoulder and heads across the apartment to the bathroom. He sets the phone on the counter and strips down, taking a couple of moments to evaluate his physique in the mirror, flexing a couple of times while waiting to see if Hannah has anything else to say. He wonders idly if dating such a smart woman will be a challenge and decides he’s more than up for it. Turning on the shower, he cranks the temperature all the way over to as hot as he can stand, hoping to ease some of the stiffness and tension from his muscles, suffering from lack of sleep the night before.

_**HannahBanana799476:** Thanks! Anyway, since it’s just me and this guy, they’re compressing the orientation schedule. Everything is moved up!_

_**kjk76:** Oh?_

He waits a couple of moments for a response, feeling a giddy bubble rise in his chest. Steam begins to fill the spacious bathroom and, after a short wait, he hops in the shower. Right after stepping in, he hears his phone chime on the counter. He fights the urge to hop right back out and drip all over the floor, instead forcing himself to soak his sore body under the healing water, feeling his shoulders and back loosen up the longer he stands there. He rummages through the piles of products on the corner shelves, taking his time to pick shampoo and conditioner that will work well with his hair, of course. After scrubbing himself clean, he finally steps out of the glass cubicle and dries himself carefully. Only then does he let himself pick up the phone to see what Hannah said next.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Yep! So I’m still flying out to LA tomorrow, but instead of doing orientation for a week there, we’re just doing paperwork on Monday and then I’m coming to Korea on Tuesday!_

Jong Kook lets out a yell of glee and pumps his fist in the air, feeling his shoulders tense up all over again with excitement. Now that things were moving along, spurred by Kwang Soo’s insistence that he email, all his former reluctance has melted away. He’s ready to go. He can’t wait to see her, to take her out, to get to know her better, to spend time staring into those green eyes that have become so familiar. He wants to figure out how to make her smile, what makes her laugh that ridiculous laugh, what she was like growing up, and what she wants for her future. He has to consciously calm himself before responding, his mind jumping years ahead to marriage, babies, grandchildren. He takes a deep breath before keying his response into his phone, careful to avoid all mention of procreation.

_**kjk76:** Amazing! So our gym trip is going to be sooner than expected, huh?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Yes! And I’ll have a little bit more free time before I have to dive in to my schedule, so maybe you can show me around a bit? ;)_

Jong Kook snorts. “Maybe” he’ll show her around a bit. Please. She has no idea.

_**kjk76:** Absolutely, it would be my pleasure. Do you know when you’re getting in? Do you need a ride from the airport? Where will you be living?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** I’ll find out all that stuff on Monday, it’s all arranged by the hospital’s teaching program. Transportation and all should be taken care of, but I’ll message you all the information as soon as I have it. Please, don’t put yourself out for me, though._

_**kjk76:** Don’t even think that. Send me the information and we’ll work everything out._

He sends the message, then hesitates, thumbs hovering above the keys for a moment. He shakes his head, shrugs, and pushes forward.

_**kjk76:** You’re amazing. I can’t wait to see you again._

He holds his breath, waiting for her to reply. The seconds tick by, making his throat clench as each one passes. Too much, too much. Went too far. He berates himself as he dresses in his shorts and t-shirt, tousling his hair with his hands to help it air dry a little more quickly. He hangs his towel and heads back to his borrowed room. He packs his dirty clothes back in his gym bag and texts his manager to find out when he needs to be where. He pulls the bedding back up and tucks it in neatly then scans the space for anything else out of place. Finding nothing, he starts to pace back and forth, setting a snapback cap on his head and adjusting it nervously every few seconds.

Just when he was about to send an awkward apology, blame translation, say _anything_ to make himself look less clingy and creepy toward a woman he’s only met once before, his phone chimes. He practically leaps across the room to snatch it off the bed, hesitating briefly before opening the message. What if it’s telling him he’s gross and strange? That’s going to make getting to the altar pretty awkward.

Closing his eyes and steeling himself, he thumbs the message open. He cracks one eye to peek. It’s a picture? He opens both eyes fully. It’s a picture of Hannah doing an exaggerated winky face, giving the thumbs up. Relief washes over him as he absorbs every detail.  Light brown hair streaked with blonde pulled up in a short, perky ponytail. A drapey black shirt hanging off one shoulder, revealing a bright blue strap of another shirt beneath. Perfect, subtle makeup. A huge smile stretching her face and exaggerating the slight cute pudginess of her cheeks.

He extends a single finger to touch the screen, trying to still his pounding heart.

“Wow,” he whispers to himself. “Wow.”

After a moment, he shakes himself loose from his bewildered trance and stuffs his phone into his bag. He practically skips through the apartment, heading for the door.

“Charity! Kwang Soo! I’m leaving!”

Silence.

He shrugs, having expected as much, and lets himself out to meet his manager downstairs. At the last second, he opts for the stairs, suddenly bursting with energy and regretting his decision to skip the gym. He clatters down all 15 stories, only slightly winded at the bottom. Upon reaching the lobby, he pulls his cap down low over his eyes and lowers his head as he hurries to the doors, spotting his manager’s car on the curb. With a quick glance around, he exits the building and cuts across the sidewalk, jumping into the back of the van.

Once inside, he buckles his seatbelt and settles in as Gap Jin pulls smoothly away from the curb. He removes his hat and shakes out his still-damp hair. He immediately starts chattering away to the man driving.

“I’m going to need a haircut this week, see if I have time to fit one in. If I don’t, cancel something, I don’t care. I also need to get my car washed and detailed. I need a new pair of jeans, and I want to pick up some new gym clothes, too. Oh, and I’m going to need the back room of that little place near the gym we always go to? But I’m not sure which day. It might be short notice. I’ll pay for it, so as soon as I find out the details, I’m going to need you to arrange that for me.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down.” Eyes peer back at Jong Kook through the rearview mirror. “It sounds like you need to hire an assistant, first of all. Second of all, what is with the sudden laundry list of needs?”

The car stops at a red light and Jong Kook releases his seat belt and clambers into the front seat, refastening himself there before digging into his bag for his phone. He unlocks it and pulls up Hannah’s picture quickly, showing it to his manager.

“Oh, a girl. I should have - wait, is this _the_ girl?,” he asks, noting Jong Kook’s face-splitting grin.

“Yes, that’s her. Hannah.” He turns the phone back to himself, still grinning as he looks at her goofy winky face again. “She’s coming. _Soon_.”

“Ah, I’m happy for you, buddy. We’ll get all that stuff arranged for you. But seriously, think about hiring an assistant. I like you, but I have no desire to keep track of the minutiae of your social life.”

Jong Kook laughs. “All right, I’ll look into it. Though hopefully soon I won’t need one,” he adds, once again mentally leaping ahead in time to the day Hannah manages their joint social life. When they do things together, every day.

He leans his head back and smiles for the rest of the ride.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I don't usually like to do short chapters, so I apologize for this, but I realized I needed to bump a couple things around in the story's timeline to make it work the way I need it to.
> 
>  
> 
> Let's be friends! See you again soon!


	17. Conversation

The time between Hannah’s announcement of her new plans and the day of her arrival passes quickly. Communication between the two is sparse, but informational, with occasional messages from Hannah relaying information about her new apartment, her flight arrival times, and her schedule. Jong Kook kept his responses short, easily sensing that she was incredibly busy. She continually made an effort to touch base, however, and he appreciated it, enjoying knowing he was in her mind at least a little when her life was so hectic.

The day of her arrival, Wednesday morning after an overnight flight, starts early for Jong Kook. His eyes shot open long before his alarm, body practically vibrating with excitement. He stares at the ceiling, willing himself to calm down. Unsuccessful, he leaps from bed an hour before he optimistically planned. He’s momentarily disoriented by his surroundings before he remembers that he let himself in to Charity’s apartment the night before. He’s carefully choosing an outfit from the giant duffle bag he lugged along with him when he hears a shriek coming from the main rooms of the apartment.

“AAAAAAIIIIIIEEE!! KWANG SOO! KWANG SOO! HELP ME! KWANG SOO HELP ME!”

He bolts from his bedroom, reacting instantly to the sound. Nearly tripping into the living room, he sees Charity in the kitchen, backed into a corner formed by the intersecting countertops.

“KWANG SOOOOOOO!,” she shrieks again, staring wide-eyed down at the floor.

Jong Kook crosses the distance between his bedroom and the kitchen in an instant.

“What? What? What is it?,” he demands of Charity. She extends a single shaking finger, pointing to the opposite counter.

“A BIRD! A BIRD! A BIRD IN MY HOUSE. IT ALMOST GOT ME”

Jong Kook’s brow furrows at the normally taciturn Charity’s sudden display of heightened emotion, but he moves to investigate the indicated area anyway. Sure enough, a small bird is sitting brazenly in the center of the countertop, right near the coffeemaker that is now dripping all over the counter, a mug on it’s side nearby.

“Omo! It’s a bird!”

“I KNOW! I SAID THAT! IT’S A BIRD!”

Jong Kook approaches the bird slowly. “What should I do?,” he asks, half to himself.

“GET IT! GET THE BIRD!”

“How do I -- aaghh!” Both he and Charity duck as the bird, apparently uncomfortable with Jong Kook’s approach, flaps off the counter and into the living room.

Charity instantly pops back up to track the bird’s path with her eyes. “OVER THERE! OVER THERE! IT’S ON THE LAMP! IT’S A BIRD!”

“I know it’s a bird!,” Jong Kook replies, trying to formulate a plan over Charity’s apparent need to remain at top volume. As different options fly through his mind, the bird takes off again, circling the room a couple of times before landing on the same lamp. Charity lets out an obscene string of cursing in English and Jong Kook cuts his eyes toward her. She scowls back and points emphatically at the bird.

“BIRD! BIRD IN MY HOUSE!”

“I KNOW IT’S A BIRD!,” Jong Kook bellows back. Making a quick decision, he ducks to rummage in the cabinets beneath the counter, emerging with a large pot and lid. He creeps forward slowly, eyes focused on the bird now walking sedately along the back of the couch, as if it’s about to grab the remote and flip on the nature channel, perfectly comfortable in its inappropriate surroundings.

“GET IT!,” Charity yells from her perch in the kitchen, having climbed up on a stool for who knows what reason.

“I’m getting it!,” he hisses, edging ever closer, pot extended upside down in front of him. With surprisingly little fuss, he drops the large pot over the bird, hearing frightened flapping against the metal as he eases the lid underneath it. He can feel the bird bouncing around inside as he gently turns the pot right side up, careful to keep the lid tightly in place. His heart is thumping with excess adrenaline brought on by Charity’s shrieking and the bird’s sudden movements and he momentarily blanks out on what to do next. He almost shrieks himself as he feels Charity hurry past, brushing against him slightly in her path to the balcony door.

“Over here! Over here, bring it over here,” she directs, sliding the glass door open.

He rushes across the living room at her words, stepping out onto the high rise balcony and gingerly setting the pot down. He leans down to keep one hand on the lid as he steps backward back into the apartment, then yanks off the lid and pulls the door closed in one swift movement. He leans against the door to catch his breath, assessing the minor destruction in the apartment as he does so. A few feathers are scattered here and there, the pillows on the couch’s back slightly flattened from his bird-nabbing. A lampshade is askew and Charity is already wiping up the coffee on the counter and setting a fresh mug under the brewer.

He walks over to the kitchen, finally taking in Charity’s appearance. Her hair is up in its customary messy bun, somewhat less messy than usual. Her eyes are bright and clear and she wears full makeup and is dressed neatly in skinny jeans and a tailored white button down. She clearly hasn’t just stumbled in with the sun.

“What _happened_?,” he asks as he approaches the kitchen.

She’s doctoring her coffee now, adding an amount of cream and sugar that makes Jong Kook wince, though he now knows better than to comment on her choices.

“I had just put my coffee on when I heard a thud over at the balcony,” she says, gesturing toward the sliding door with her head, her back to Jong Kook as she stirs her coffee. “I went over to look and there was a bird just lying there on the cement. I thought it was dead. I opened the door to check, and the bad bastard flew right into the house.” She turns to face him, coffee in hand. “And it almost got me,” she adds.

Jong Kook stifles a snort and is about to answer when a door flies open on the other side of the apartment and Kwang Soo stumbles out, wild-haired and sleepy-eyed, an enormous shoe clutched in one hand. Jong Kook bursts into flat out laughter at the sight of a half-asleep Kwang Soo ready to do battle.

“What? What is it?,” Kwang Soo mumbles tiredly, brandishing his shoe.

“It was a bird,” Jong Kook says after a moment to gather himself.

“A _bird_? In the _house_?” Kwang Soo is incredulous.

“Yes!” Charity nods. “And it almost GOT ME.”

Jong Kook bursts into fresh laughter. “It almost _got_ you? Tell me, what was the bird going to do when it caught you?”

She glowers at him over the rim of her mug.

“Some help you were,” she directs to Kwang Soo. “If I had to rely on you, it definitely would have gotten me. Instead I had to wait for Muscles over here to come save me.”

Jong Kook bristles at her apparent disdain for his rescue skills. “I _did_ save you,” he interjects indignantly, getting himself a glass of water as Kwang Soo flops onto a stool at the counter.

“Coffee?,” Charity asks and he nods gratefully, slowly coming awake.

“You didn’t offer _me_ coffee,” Jong Kook huffs, pricked by Charity’s attitude after his dramatic heroics.

She rolls her eyes. “Would you have accepted?”

“No, but you could have _asked_.”

She shakes her head and turns to Kwang Soo, still clutching a shoe close to his chest as he waits for his coffee. “You busy tonight, Kwang Soo?”

“Mmm, no,” he replies. “I have an early day tomorrow so I was planning to stay in. You want to watch more of that show?”

Charity nods eagerly in response. “Yes, let’s. I’ll order in and meet you here tonight.”

“What do you have going on today, Cherry? You look nice.” He nods approvingly.

“Meetings at KBS all day.”

“Oh?,” Jong Kook questions. “I didn’t know Ji Hyo was doing anything with KBS right now.”

“She’s not.” Charity turns away to fill her coffee cup again. “I’m not with Ji Hyo today, it’s meetings about a piece of software I developed. KBS is interested in licensing it for the accounting departments.”

“I… oh.” Jong Kook trails off, not really understanding.

“It’s a big deal, hyung,” Kwang Soo supplies helpfully.

“Oh. Oh, of course. Well, congratulations. What does it… do?”

Charity nods, acknowledging his congratulations. “This product is actually a software suite with a number of functional modules operating within a pretty sleek framework, written in the… I’ve lost you already, huh?,” she smirks.

Jong Kook scowls at her accurate assessment of his glazed-over confusion. “Well. Well… “

“Well?”

“Well, your lipstick is too dark,” he jabs.

“Your face is too stupid,” she replies instantly, dropping her coffee cup into the sink. “Have a good day, boys!” She smiles at them widely, the expression not suiting her well at all, as she swings a minimalist messenger-style briefcase over her shoulder and heads for the door. “Kwang Soo, see you later! Other guy, thanks for the bird.” And she’s gone.

“Other guy!,” Jong Kook sputters at the now closed door. “Other guy!” He turns to Kwang Soo. “She called me ‘Other guy!’ You know she knows my name.”

“Mmm.” Kwang Soo nods in agreement. “She definitely does know your name.”

“Seriously, Kwang Soo, how do you get along with her so easily?” Jong Kook shakes his head and moves to the fridge, pulling out ingredients to make a light breakfast.

Kwang Soo shrugs. “She’s pretty easy to get along with, hyung. What do you have going on today?”

Jong Kook grins as he mixes egg whites and vegetables together in a small bowl. “Hannah arrives today.”

“Oh, yeah! I can’t believe I forgot for a second. Are you guys going out? To the gym?” Kwang Soo cracks a goofy smile.

“No, no, not today. She’s arriving today after an overnight flight, so she’ll be tired, I’m sure. I’m just going to welcome her and help her get settled in her apartment. I won’t stay long, but I’m excited to see her.”

It’s obvious Jong Kook is excited to see Hannah. His face is practically glowing with happiness.

“When do I get to meet her, hyung?”

“Oh, hm.” Jong Kook sets a light omelette in front of each of them as he takes the stool next to Kwang Soo. “I don’t know. I mean, soon, I hope. But I need some time, you know?”

Kwang Soo nods, as usual understanding pretty well what is hyung is trying to say. “Of course. Take your time. She needs to settle in, you need to get to know each other. But I’m really looking forward to meeting her.”

“I’m looking forward to introducing her to everyone,” Jong Kook smiles. “I’m looking forward to… everything. I’m looking forward to everything.”

The front door beeps open and both men lift their heads as Charity hurries back into the apartment.

“Wrong laptop,” she explains as she hurries into the living room, flinging herself to the floor and looking under the furniture.

“Does it make a difference?,” Jong Kook asked.

“I wouldn’t have come back if it didn’t make a difference.” She straightens up and hurries over to the console table beneath the television, flinging open all the doors.

“Is it lost, Cherry?,” Kwang Soo asks with concern.

“No, I don’t think so.” She stands again, leaving the cabinet doors open. She stands with her hands on her hips, scanning her eyes over the apartment.

“Where did you last see it?,” Jong Kook asks, trying to help.

“If I knew that, I’d know where it was, wouldn’t I?,” she snapped, striding to the bookshelf.

“You’re so surly,” Jong Kook complains. “Really, I’d to meet the guy who would marry you.”

Kwang Soo’s jaw drops.

“Well,” Charity says as she pulls a thin silver laptop from between two thick books. “He’s dead, so let me know if you need directions.” She blows a sarcastic kiss and is out the door again before either man can gather himself enough to speak.

Jong Kook drops his head onto his folded arms on the counter, holding up a hand to silence Kwang Soo when he senses him about to speak. “I know,” he groans from his hiding place in his arms.

Kwang Soo sighs. “As long as you know, hyung.” He stands and gathers their dishes, dropping them into the sink before heading into his room, leaving his friend to his self-imposed shame.

* * *

Later, having recovered from the incident by putting it out of his mind as best as he can, Jong Kook is standing outside a modest student apartment building, leaning against the wall shaded by an awning. He’s wearing shorts and a t-shirt, as always, with a cap pulled down low over his eyes. He tries to look casual and inconspicuous, but can’t help bouncing and shifting his weight from foot to foot as he waits. At his insistence, Hannah had texted that her plane had landed about an hour before, and she should be arriving any moment.

Just when he’s about to pull his phone out to read over their conversations for the thousandth time, a cab pulls to the curb. He freezes as the back door opens and Hannah steps out. The world seems to slow as he takes her in from head to toe. Her light hair swings smoothly just above her shoulders, her eyes hidden by lightly tinted aviator glasses. She wears a fitted, simple black t-shirt and distressed jeans cuffed a few inches above her ankles. In contrast to her plain outfit and standard black backpack slung over one shoulder, she wears heels adorned with a bright flower pattern.

As she moves to the back of the cab to remove her bags from the trunk, Jong Kook spurs himself into action. Moving quickly to her side, he says, “I thought we talked about travelling in heels.”

Hannah starts at his sudden approach, then turns to him with a bright smile.

“Mr. Kim Jong Kook!,” she exclaims, pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head to reveal her deep green eyes. “You didn’t have to come!”

He looks at the bags in the trunk, then up at the building he’s certain doesn’t have an elevator.

“You’re on the third floor, right?”

She laughs. “You didn’t have to come, but I’m sure glad you did.” She bumps her shoulder against his in a friendly manner. His face warms at the contact and he reaches into the trunk quickly to hide his flush.

“I won’t stay,” he explains, “but at least let me help you get your things into your apartment. You must be exhausted.” He doesn’t say it, but she looks anything but. In fact, she looks lovely and glowing and happy and genuinely thrilled to see him.

“You know, I can’t believe it,” she says as she hefts a medium size suitcase onto the curb. “But I actually slept on the plane. I never sleep on planes, I’m always too excited to get wherever I’m going.”

Jong Kook grabs the largest bag and lifts it almost effortlessly. “You, excited? Naaaah,” he teases.

Hannah laughs lightly and lays a hand on his shoulder, giving a gentle playful shove. “It seems you have my number already, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. Should we go in? I’m _excited_ to see my new apartment.”

She reaches for the medium size bag but Jong Kook beats her to it, pointing with his elbow to indicate a small shoulder bag as he lifts the two largest. She smiles at him gratefully and leads the way into the building. Jong Kook was right - there is no elevator - and they talk about her trip as they make their way up several flights of stairs. Jong Kook once again marvels at how easy Hannah is to talk to. She’s animated when she speaks, the backpack and heavily laden shoulder bag not slowing her gestures in the slightest. She tells an amusing story about the man across the aisle from her and how he kept reaching to hide food under his seat and how she didn’t realize until nearly all the way to Korea that he was sharing his meals with a tiny dog in a carrier.

They’re both laughing when they reach the third floor and Jong Kook’s head is buzzing with exhilaration. He couldn’t ask for more, really. Hannah is pretty and smart and sensible. She’s entertaining and genuine. She speaks to him easily and he finds it just as easy to speak to her. He’s lost in his own thoughts when she stops in front of a door. She’s just punching a code into the keypad beside the door when it swings open to reveal a tall, slender man.

“Hannah, hey!,” he greets cheerfully in English. “I was wondering when you’d arrive.” He slings an arm around her shoulder and pulls her close, patting her on the back solidly. Hannah disentangles herself subtly, more quickly than it appears the man would like.

“Daniel, hi! Have you been here long? Isn’t it weird we didn’t fly out at the same time? Oh, this is Mr. Kim Jong Kook,” she says, stepping aside to reveal dumbfounded man. “Mr. Kim Jong Kook, this is Daniel. He’s the other person who got into the program with me.”

“Hey, buddy.” Daniel extends a hand toward Jong Kook.

“Hello,” Jong Kook replies, inclining his head toward Daniel as he shakes his hand briefly.

“Boyfriend already?,” Daniel says jokingly to Hannah, eyeing Jong Kook appraisingly.

Hannah laughs. “I told you about the friend I made in the airport, Daniel.”

“Oh, right,” he responds almost flatly, still assessing Jong Kook. “Geeze, look at me, leaving you standing in the hall. Come in,” he says, moving out of the doorway and into the apartment. Hannah follows and they chatter about their travels in rapidfire English, leaving Jong Kook trailing slightly behind. His eyes narrow as he watches Daniel point out the different features of the small but well-appointed apartment, not failing to note how Hannah neatly but discreetly dodges when he tries to direct her with a hand on her waist or arm around her shoulder.

“And this is your room,” Daniel says as he finishes up the short tour, pushing open a door on one end of the main living area and allowing them all to file inside. “I left the master for you, it has a bathroom. I’ll use the bathroom in the hall.” He speaks directly to Hannah, not a word spoken to Jong Kook or even a glance in his direction since their initial greetings.

“Oh, that’s so nice of you!,” Hannah exclaims, turning her bright smile his way. Jong Kook steams internally. “I’m sure you’ve got settling in of your own to do, so let’s catch up in a bit,” she says, expertly steering him toward the door. “Thanks again for the room, it’s great!” She shuts the door without giving him much of a chance to reply.

“Whew.” She drops the bags she’s carrying with a thud. “Daniel’s nice, isn’t he?,” she asks Jong Kook as she slides open the doors of the small wardrobe and pokes her head into the bathroom.

“Yes…,” Jong Kook says hesitantly. “But… “

“Handsy, too, right?,” Hannah says, laughing.

“He is,” Jong Kook agrees. “He seems to like you… ?” His statement becomes an uncertain question.

“I guess he thinks he does,” Hannah agrees. “But we spent a lot of time together during the two days of orientation, and you know, he was really nervous about coming to Korea, so I did my best to be reassuring. He’s probably just happy to see a familiar American face, and I’m sure he’ll realize that soon.”

“Ah, yeah,” Jong Kook nods. He realizes that the friendliness Hannah so readily displays to him applies to everyone the woman meets and is both pleased and jealous at the same time. “But you’re going to live together? Roommates with a man?” He can’t help the sour expression that crosses his face as he sets Hannah’s two heavy bags on her bed.

“Well, yes,” Hannah replies. “I realize that’s not especially common in Korea, but the program is American-funded and with only two of us, they thought it made sense to save on the apartment.” She shrugs. “I know how it looks, though. You know, I dated a guy who had a female roommate, they were best friends, and I was just never comfortable with it, even though it was totally innocent. I didn’t make a fuss about it, but… “ She grins and shrugs.

Jong Kook swallows nervously, considering his current crash pad arrangements. He shifts, uncomfortable for a moment.

“Well,” he says finally after a pause that felt decades long. “I’m sure you want to unpack and relax, so I’ll get out of your hair.” He moves toward the bedroom door, realizing his shyness is creeping back as he’s closed into Hannah’s bedroom with her.

“Oh, no!,” she exclaims. “Please don’t go. I mean, if you have to, don’t let me keep you, but… I’m _really_ hungry,” she admits sheepishly. “I didn’t want to eat anything in the airport and of course I have no food in the apartment.” She gestures widely to the sparsely furnished and undecorated room surrounding them. “Do you think that we could get an early lunch?”

“Oh.” Jong Kook can’t help his grin. “Yes. Yes, of course. Let’s do that.”

“Yay!” Hannah claps her hands together cutely. “Let me just change my shoes. My feeeet!,” she wails faux-dramatically as she opens the largest suitcase to reveal neatly folded stacks of clothes and two pairs of running shoes. “Not too fashionable, I know,” she says, sitting on the bed to kick off her heels and pull on socks and sneakers. “But I can’t take another second in those shoes.”

“You look fine,” Jong Kook assures her. He catches a glimpse of a hefty sized pile of what appears to be gym clothes as Hannah flips her suitcase closed again. He glows internally, once again mentally praising his choice to take the fortune teller up on her offer. This is good. This is right. This is perfect.

Hannah pulls a small black purse out of the backpack she’d been carrying earlier and the head out of the apartment.

“Oh, wait one second!,” Hannah says, darting back inside. She reppears in less than a minute. “Just wanted to let Daniel know I was leaving for a bit.”

“Did you ask him to join us?,” Jong Kook asks as they head for the stairwell.

“I didn’t,” Hannah admits. “Am I terrible? I could go back.” She starts to turn away.

“No!” Jong Kook exclaims, grabbing her upper arm. “I mean, no.” More calmly now, dropping his hand. “Like you said, I’m sure he has things to do, and…” he trails off.

“And he didn’t seem to like you,” Hannah finishes for him, laughing. “Good. I didn’t really want to bring him along, anyway.” She smiles, holding eye contact with Jong Kook until he drops his own bashfully.

They head down the stairs. “So, where shall we go?” Hannah asks cheerfully.

* * *

A short time later, the two sit across from each other in a semi-secluded corner of a nondescript restaurant. Hannah hasn’t even bothered to look at what’s offered, instead insisting Jong Kook order for her.

“I haven’t started any Korean lessons,” she admits. “I will soon,” she assures him, “but I’ve just been so busy.” She shrugs, still smiling. She almost never stops smiling.

“I’ll take care of it,” he agrees, not minding in the least. When the server appears at the side of the table, he orders quickly and turns back to Hannah.

“I was curious, so I looked up the program you’re in,” he tells her. “I hope that’s not too weird. It’s very prestigious! I’m impressed all over again.”

Hannah’s eyes twinkle. “I know I shouldn’t brag,” she says, “but I’m kind of impressed with me, too!” She laughs lightly. “And no, it’s not weird. I admit that I meant to look up more about you so that I could awe you with my knowledge when I got here, but I haven’t had a single second to spare in weeks. So I guess you’ll just have to tell me! Let’s start with your family.”

Jong Kook laughs for a moment before realizing she’s totally serious. He answers and she continues to ask questions each time he winds down, never too prying, but always seeming sincerely interested. They’re chatting comfortably when the food arrives, and Hannah exclaims excitedly as a simple chicken dish and numerous side dishes are spread before them.

“I am totally still listening,” she says, “but I am going to need to taste all of this. I feel like I haven’t eaten in a month.”

She continues to encourage Jong Kook to talk about his family and friends, listening intently as he sketches out his career and life path up to this point. He laughs when he realizes they’ve both long since finished their food and he’s still talking.

They stand and exit the restaurant after a minor friendly disagreement over who would pay. Jong Kook made sure to win. On the sidewalk outside, Jong Kook asks, “Did you like it?”

“I did, thank you so much! Well. I liked most of it. Some of the side dishes…” Her nose wrinkles.

Jong Kook grins, remembering her face when she had tried some of the spicer sides. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I hope so. I really liked everything else.”

“We’re very close to your apartment, so you can walk here easily if you want to try more things. We’re also fairly close to the hospital, so I thought this would be a good choice to show you for now.”

“Good thinking! But… can I ask you to show me one more thing?”

“Of course!,” Jong Kook says, happy to have an excuse to extend their time together even for a few minutes more. Her continual questioning and thoughtful responses during their meal were so easy and engrossing, he realizes belatedly that he hadn’t learned a single new thing about Hannah herself.

“Well, I don’t usually do this, but I would kill for some ice cream right now,” she admits. “My tongue is burning!” She sticks it out. “It’s actually on fire right now, isn’t it? Tell the truth!”

He pretends to examine it closely. “A little singed,” he agrees. “I think there’s an ice cream place a few streets from here. I’ll get us a cab.”

“Can we walk?,” Hannah asks. “I’ll pre-burn off some of the giant pile of calories I intend to eat.”

“Well…” Jong Kook hedges. “There are a lot of people around…”

“Oh. Oh!” Hannah suddenly realizes what he’s saying. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about it. You’re just so… normal!” She laughs, abashed. “Of course. Let’s take a cab. To ice cream!”

“To ice cream,” he agrees, stepping to the curb and sticking his hand out for a cab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a long time, I apologize. Are you doing well?
> 
> This date's not over, more to come in the next chapter.
> 
> See you again soon!


	18. Reversal

Ice cream goes much the same way as lunch did, but reversed. As Hannah enjoys a small cup of frozen yogurt, Jong Kook turns the questions on her. Determined to gain as much information as possible without prying, he employs her own method of combining an interested attitude with gentle encouragement to keep her talking.

 She eats slowly, giving them plenty of time.

 "I'm sorry if you have somewhere to be, you don't have to stay with me," she says as she swallows another small spoonful of her treat. "I'm sure I can find my way back."

 "No, no," Jong Kook assures her. "Please, take your time. I'm in no hurry to be anywhere at all. Besides, you're clearly enjoying that yogurt and shouldn't be rushed." He smiles.

 She grins back at him, a megawatt, face-splitting glow he's quickly becoming accustomed to basking in. "I am," she agrees. "I almost never have sweets, no problem resisting. I put on weight _really_ easily." He starts to speak up to deny her claim, but she stops him, holding up a hand. "Don't try to deny it, you haven't even seen it!" She laughs. "I don't mind doing what needs to be done to stay in shape. Unless I'm stressed. All bets are off when I'm stressed." She takes another bite. "I'm allowing myself this one and that's it. We'll go to the gym soon, right? Because if not, it's going to be all downhill into a pile of potato chips and regrets."

 "Sure. Sure, we will. You know, that's the most you've said about yourself since I met you."

 "We talked all the way through lunch!"

 "Yeah, about me! I didn't even know you liked potato chips. Let's hear some details. Let's start with your family," he says, echoing her own line from earlier.

 "Hmm, my family." Hannah taps her spoon against her lips thoughtfully. "Well, I have one younger sibling and two younger half siblings."

 "So you're the oldest. I'm not surprised."

 "Is it that obvious? I am the oldest, that's right."

 "What about your parents? What was growing up like for you?"

 "Fun!"

 "That's it? It was fun?"

 "It was! That's the best way to sum it up. Growing up with my parents was fun. _They_ were fun. I always felt like kind of an odd one growing up - I was always much more serious and focused and driven than they were. Just goofballs, the both of them."

 "Goofballs?" Jong Kook laughs.  It's already so opposite his own upbringing that it sounds like a fantasy world.

 "Yes! Goofballs!" Hannah grins. "Funny. Fun. Carefree. Interesting. Silly. Very, very silly." She takes a spoon of her yogurt, looking down at the cup as she thinks about what to say next. "I've always been really studious, if you can't tell." She laughs lightly. "And on and off throughout growing up in my house, I'd think, 'Can't they just be serious? Can't they take anything seriously?' It was really frustrating."

 Jong Kook nods but stays silent in hopes that she'll continue comfortably. She seems unfamiliar with talking about herself.

 "But the older I got, the more I understood them." She swirls her spoon around the nearly empty cup. "I'd be stressing - really stressing, like full fat ice cream stressing - over an exam or a college application or something like that, you know? And -- Oh, you dropped this!" She leans over to pick up a couple of bills that had fluttered from a passing man's pocket. The man ignores her and Jong Kook reaches out to touch his elbow, pointing to Hannah and explaining in Korean. He thanks her and she turns her megawatt grin on him.

 Jong Kook shifts and turns his face away to hide what he is sure is a clear expression of sour jealousy. _He_ wants to make her smile. He schools himself and turns back.

 "You were saying?," he prods her when she remains silent.

 "I was saying... oh. I'd be stressed out, studying or just freaking out, and they'd swoop in and we'd do something ridiculous. Like camp in our backyard in the middle of winter. Or go see how many movies we could see in the theater in a row in one day. They never stopped me for going for what I wanted, encouraged me even, constantly and always. But at the same time, even though I spent most of my early years assuming they were giant goofballs, they kept me from imploding in on myself. I was an _intense_ kid."

 "You don't seem to be nearly as uptight as you're painting yourself."

 "No, I'm probably not as uptight as I was when I was like... nine." She laughs. "Sometimes I thought I was the grownup and they were the kids.  I wised up as the years went on. Don't get me wrong - I'm still very focused on this program. And I'm _certainly_ not a goofball.

 Jong Kook quickly pulls up a picture on his phone, the one she sent of her cheesy thumbs up pose, the one he's looked at 85 times a day since he got it.

 "Not a goofball?"

 She holds up her hands. "Okay. Guilty. A little bit of a goofball. But it's genetic, you understand. I would get so aggravated and roll my eyes and think, 'God, please, don't let me grow up to be like them,' but I did. And it was kind of deliberate. I'm _just_ like my mother. Well... a lot like her, anyway."

 She laughs under her breath.

 "It's hard to see the forest for the trees when you're a kid. Everything annoying about growing up in my house, the things that made me the most nuts, that seemed stupid and ridiculous and pointless, it was all for my benefit. To help me grow up, not hinder me the way I thought when I was an arrogant pre-teen who knew everything about everything. They balanced me, carefully and deliberately. And I did grow up, and I'm doing well, and I'm doing this all by myself. I... geeze, what a tangent! Psychoanalysis done, right?"

 Jong Kook does not want to be done, he wants her to keep talking and keep revealing herself. He's enjoying listening to her, she has a pleasant way of telling stories and her animated features are friendly, open, and appealing. He's eager, though, to start discovering all the little things that make them soul mates. He wants to know all of it. He wants to know why her string snapped across the room, directly to his, when the fortune teller broke it that night. So far, they have plenty in common, but he's still waiting for that spark, that flash of light that he's sure is coming, the moment the reason their strings pattern so intricately over each other becomes clear. However, Hannah is now looking around restlessly, seemingly ready to drop the topic of her upbringing entirely. He's reluctant to move on, but does.

 "Right! Past is the past, you're here now. How did that happen? You mentioned something about how a lot of things happened to get you to this point."

 They both stand and Hannah tosses her empty cup into the trash, staring after it forlornly for a moment.

 "Oh. Well. Yes, a lot went on for me to get here." They head out the door of the ice cream shop and Hannah looks back and forth, trying to orient herself.

 "The apartment building is that way," Jong Kook points. "And the hospital is just slightly to the west of that." He looks up and down the nearly empty street. "Let me show you a way back through the park across the street. There's a path through the trees that is great for running outdoors, and the other side is just a block from your building."

 She nods. "Lead the way, captain."

 Once they're ambling comfortably along the thinly wooded trail, Jong Kook restarts the conversation.

 "What kinds of changes?"

 "Hm?"

 He flinches internally at his awkward reintroduction of the topic, but presses on. "You said a lot went on to get you here."

 "Ah. Yes. Well. It's not really 'first meeting,' kind of stuff."

 "This is our second meeting. Did our time in the airport mean nothing to you?" He pretends to be wounded, clutching his chest. "What about our symbolic sippy cup?"

 Hannah giggles. "Right, right. You're right. Well, why not." She looks up at the sky as she walks along slowly by his side. "Well. Some big changes happened in my life and my family all at once. I mean, out of nowhere. It felt like an earthquake, sort of. One day everything was fine, and then... boom. Everything is different."

 Jong Kook feels a cold feeling creeping through his insides. He forces himself to keep his expression neutral, strolling along beside Hannah.

 "I was in medical school, same as now, and I'd considered this program, but ultimately decided not to apply. It was _so_ selective and I thought I had a fairly good chance, but just preparing applications and entrance requirements was daunting and time consuming. I didn't see a point in doing it if I wasn't going to go."

 "But you did do it and you're here."

 "Right." She nods, still staring ahead down the path as she talks. "I wasn't going to apply because I really felt like I was in a good place. The program is really prestigious and practically guarantees my pick of jobs, but I knew I'd do pretty well just graduating on the track I was on. Well enough. It would be fine. And I _wanted_ to be where I was. I was happy with the way my life was going. I'd gotten so much closer to my parents as I got older - you know how it is, they start to seem like people instead of aliens." She turns to grin at him briefly.

 "They had encouraged me to apply, they pushed it really hard. But I spent so much of my life absorbed in being the best and being first and I was done with that. Don't get me wrong, I was still going to be the best and be first. I was just going to do it at home, right where I was. My mom had become my best friend and my biggest role model. I genuinely enjoyed spending free time with my dad. Across the world, well. Who knew? And parents aren't around forever."

 Jong Kook nods silently.

 "And I had a boyfriend, we'd been together for a long time. He had a very promising career starting, and we planned to get married when we were both out of school. Perfect, right? Two young, successful career people with excellent family ties and a happy life planned."

 The ice in Jong Kook's veins spreads further.

 "Really, until late last year, my life was laid out perfectly."

 They walk silently for a moment. Jong Kook wages an internal war over whether he should encourage her to continue to change the subject. Just as he's about to speak, she takes a deep breath and continues.

 "So my mom, right? She's so friendly and open and warm. Always. A smile for everyone. Always volunteering at my school, always an open door for my friends. A real _mom_ kind of mom, you know? I knew all that, but it wasn't until I got older that I realized how great she was. Happy and funny and fun, but oh man, a spine of steel. I mean, that woman could be tough when necessary. Not often, but when it mattered. When something unfair happened to her kids, or when someone tried to push her around. She was just a great mother to me. I want to be just like her. And my dad. So smart, very sharp. It seemed like he knew something about everything. He always had a good answer whether I was asking him about homework or life or, his worst fear, boys." She smiles, seeming a bit lost in thought.

 "And their marriage was amazing. I mean, I could only _dream_ of being half as happy as my mother and father. They loved us, for sure, but there was no doubt that they loved each other the most. They teased each other and played together and were just... they were a great team, you know? Both incredible people individually, but together, man, they were something else. Does that make sense?"

 "Mm, it does," Jong Kook answers. "It sounds like a happy home." It sounds like an alien planet compared to his own.

 "It was," Hannah agrees. "Until... all of a sudden, we find out that my father had been cheating on my mother."

 Jong Kook looks at her quickly, but she's still staring forward.

 "Cheating on her a _lot_. With a _lot_  of women. Those two half brothers I mentioned? His kids. Kids we didn't even know about."

 "That must have been... " Jong Kook is at a loss for words.

 "Yeah," Hannah laughs lightly on an exhale. "It was. It was hard. Finding out your parents aren't who you think they are is obviously something all kids go through as they grow into adults. Your parents are just people. But finding out they're _bad_ people... "

 "I do think cheating is awful and unforgivable. I'd never even consider it and it's hard for me to understand people who do." Jong Kook speaks slowly, choosing his words carefully. "You must have really struggled with learning this about your father."

 Hannah nods shortly. "But worse was finding out about my mother."

 "She cheated, too?" Jong Kook is appalled.

 "No." Hannah shook her head. "I actually sometimes wish she had, that this situation had been the other way around. Selfish. But I feel like I would have handled it better. Not the cheating part. What I couldn't handle was how my _mom_ handled everything."

 "Oh?"

 They're nearing the end of the path. Hannah looks around.

 "This is a beautiful path, thanks for showing it to me. We're almost back, right?"

 "Right," Jong Kook nods.

 "Well, I'll be quick then." She flashes a bright smile. "My mother just... nothing. She nothinging, if 'nothing' can be a verb. She just... carried on. No anger, no raging, no scathing words for my father about his other women. That spine I admired - gone. She even reached out to the other women so that all the kids could meet, if they wanted to." Hannah snorts. "As if."

 "I... "

 "You don't know what to say. It's all right." Hannah lays a hand on his arm reassuringly. "What could you possibly say? This is just background information, okay? This is all over and done with."

 "So... you're in Korea because your father cheated on your mother?"

 "Sort of... "

 They arrive at Hannah's building and head inside, slowly trudging up the three flights.

 "My boyfriend was extremely supportive through... everything. I mean, a lot happened all at once. It was all very fast. Everything turned upside down in what felt like a second. In the middle of everything, my mother told me that she'd sent off all the paperwork for the teaching program. She'd done it for me because she wanted me to at least have the option to choose, and not look back in regret if I didn't at least try. All I had to do was put together some personal statements to get through the first round. I was _furious_. I don't know why. She didn't hurt anything. I was just so angry with her in general, I guess. Just looking at her made me angry. I couldn't be around her without fury bubbling up inside me."

 Jong Kook nods as he tries to imagine smiley Hannah in a furious rage.

 "And I went to my boyfriend's apartment to tell him what she'd done, and he took my side. Said she was out of line, she of all people should know that he and I had our lives planned, that I was right to tell her off. And he said, let's just get married. Why wait. It would show her that I was serious about how I planned out my life. And even though it was always the plan anyway... I couldn't. Everything was laid out, our lives couldn't _be_ more perfect. But I'd just watched the most perfect marriage on earth crumble right in front of me. How arrogant of us to think we would make it when everything went all to hell for them. I told him I didn't want to get married. And that I was going to finish the application and try for the program."

 They're leaning against opposite walls in the hallway outside Hannah's new apartment. Jong Kook's eyes are trained on her face.

 "How did he take that?"

 "Badly." Hannah grins at him. "He wanted to stay together, though. I guess to change my mind. But I kind of ricocheted all around for a while, and I guess kind of fell back into my old personality a bit. No flexibility, no fun, no time for anything but working, studying, or some combination of both. Some other things happened..." Here she looks up at the ceiling for a moment and Jong Kook waits quietly. She continues in a moment. "And I became even more determined to get into this program. I had no time for him. I told him as much. I told him again, I definitely don't want to get married. And we broke up." She shrugs and smiles at him. "And now here I am! Taa daaa!" She does jazz hands to end her tale with a flourish.

 "Wow." Jong Kook lifts his cap and runs his hand over his hair before settling it back on his head. "That's a lot to happen in a short amount of time. I'm sorry you went through all that."

 "Nah." Hannah grins and shakes her head. "Don't be. It's fine. Everything is fine. Everything is totally different, but, you know, it's going to be fine." She smiles at him warmly and he feels the icy feeling finally start to recede.

 "Right," he agrees. "You're in a new country. Everything is fresh. You're even going to go to a whole new gym." He grins back at her.

 "Right!" She holds up her hand for a high five.

 "Your path is different now, but I'm sure it will end up going the way it's meant to go. New place, new friends, someone new to marry..." he trails off, flushing bright red. Fortunately Hannah doesn't notice as she turns her head at the sound of the apartment door swinging open.

 "Hannah! I thought I heard you out here! I was beginning to think you got lost. Or stolen." Daniel stands in the doorway, looking pointedly at Jong Kook. Jong Kook fights back a scowl.

 "Hey, Daniel! I'll be in in a minute and we can talk about the plan for tomorrow."

 He nods. "All right, I'm just hanging out on the couch. See you in a few." He inclines his head slightly toward Jong Kook. "Good to see you, buddy." The door closes.

 Hannah turns back to Jong Kook. "We have a meet and greet with the program heads tomorrow, and a tour of both hospital facilities. Heels all day." She groans. "Friday we're doing some tourist thing, I think, sponsored by the school, which will be fun or terrible. What are you doing Saturday or Sunday? Think we can fit in a trip to the gym?"

 "Ah, my schedule is packed this weekend, but I should be free Monday evening. Can we plan for then?"

 "Yes! That would be perfect. I actually have Monday and Tuesday off before our compressed orientation starts and runs Wednesday through Friday. After that, I don't even know what my schedule will be, so let's definitely plan for Monday night so I can see this gym you're so proud of. New gym! New friends!" She gives him a high five and swings the apartment door open.

 "But not someone new to marry," she continues. "I'm _never_ getting married. See you Monday!"

 Jong Kook is stunned into silence and can't even form a response before the door swings shut.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory: done! I'm so pleased, I feel like I'm finally over this giant hump that's been looming in front of me since I started writing this. I had so much information to impart before things could really get going that sometimes I didn't want to write a chapter at all - too daunting. But it's done!
> 
> Also I am super reliant on dialogue. Is anyone reading this an experienced beta? I could probably use help in chopping down my wordiness to make it easier to get through. Less chatting, more Jong Kook-ing! (Though we all know the man loves to talk...) Message me, please!
> 
> That's it! See you again soon!


	19. Debriefing

Jong Kook makes his way back to Charity's apartment almost in a daze. Thoughts pass languidly through his hazy mind, none staying long enough to be fully analyzed. A trip to quickly greet Hannah upon her arrival in the country had turned into so much more and he didn't feel quite ready to process all the information. Just outside Charity's building, he pulls out his cellphone and hits a speed dial button. When the person on the other end picks up, he begins talking immediately.

"Yah, Kwang Soo, where are you?"

"Working, hyung. But on a brief break. Is everything okay?" Kwang Soo is perceptive and tuned in to Jong Kook's moods and easily picks up that something is off with his friend.

"Ah, okay. Nothing... nothing much. It can wait."

"You saw Hannah today, right? How was it?"

"It was... are you going to stay at Charity's tonight?"

"Yep, you?"

"I was just about to pick up my stuff and head home, but if you're going to be there, I think I'll stay. Can we catch up tonight?"

"Yes, sure thing, hyung. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yep."

Both hang up and Jong Kook heads up to the apartment. Collecting just gym clothes instead of everything as he planned, he changes quickly and heads to the gym to blow off steam and focus on something else entirely for a while. He's not quite ready to deeply analyze his day and the information Hannah shared. Instead, he'll let it all swirl around in his brain while he works out hard for a few hours, then see what comes out when he talks with Kwang Soo later.

He focuses intently on his workout, though he can't stop himself from turning the events of the day around and around in his head a bit. Hannah is just as bright and shining as he remembered her from the airport, her smile contagious and her manner engaging. He truly enjoyed their time together earlier and felt more comfortable sitting in chatting with her than he normally would with a woman he doesn't know well. He's looking forward to seeing her again and basking in her smile and easy conversational style. But he's nervous. He's nervous about the sudden upheaval in Hannah's life that brought them together. The twinges of guilt were frequent and strong as they walked along the path together. And then, she also said she  _never_  wants to get married. How could that be?

After several hard hours at the gym running his body into exhaustion, Jong Kook lets himself back in to Charity's apartment. He kicks off his shoes and heads into the living room where he finds Kwang Soo sprawled on one of the couches, staring at the television and fumbling around for a bowl of popcorn on the floor. 

"Hey, hyung," Kwang Soo calls without looking away from the screen. 

"Hey, Kwang Soo," Jong Kook replies. He looks around the room. "Where's Charity? I thought you two were hanging out together tonight."

"Shower," he says, sitting up. "Want to hang out with us?"

"Ummm...," Jong Kook hedges. "Sure, I guess. I don't have anything else going on tonight."

"Come tell me how today went." Kwang Soo pats the couch next to him invitingly.

Jong Kook laughs and takes a seat on the couch across from Kwang Soo, dropping his gym bag at his feet. He lifts his cap and runs his hand through his hair, still wet from the shower at the gym. He settles in to the couch, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankle. He fiddles with the hem of his shorts as he thinks about what to say.

"Did it go well, hyung?," Kwang Soo encourages.

"Yes." Jong Kook thinks a moment, and then nods in affirmation. "Yes, it went well. She's still... Hannah. She's still the same. Funny, smart, charming. She's easy to talk to."

"That's good, hyung. Why do I sense there's something more, though?"

"Well." Jong Kook adjusts his cap again, a habit Kwang Soo recognizes well. "Well, first of all, I went to her apartment and she has a roommate."

"Oh?" Kwang Soo perks up, interested.

"It's a guy."

"Oh." Kwang Soo deflates, melting back into the cushions. "Wait, a  _guy_?"

"Yes." Jong Kook nods. "A guy. And he likes her."

"Does she like him?"

"Hannah likes  _everyone_ ," Jong Kook sighs. "She even acknowledged he seems to like her and just shrugged it off. She's incredibly nice," Jong Kook explains. "But no, I don't think she  _likes_  him like that."

"Okay, well, that's not  _too_  bad," Kwang Soo says dubiously. "And if she's got a male roommate, she probably won't be bothered by you crashing at a woman's place, right?"

"Well... I'm not so sure about that. Apparently her last boyfriend - and that's a whole other story - had a female roommate and it really bothered her."

Kwang Soo twists his lips contemplatively. He says nothing, waiting for Jong Kook to continue.

"We put her suitcases in her apartment and then we went to eat - her suggestion." Jong Kook smiles, remembering when Hannah asked if they could spend more time together. At least, that was how he was interpreting it. "We talked all through lunch. Or at least, I did. She's very good at getting people to talk to her. So then we went for ice cream - her, not me," Jong Kook responds to Kwang Soo's incredulous expression. "And I finally got to ask her about herself. She's got three siblings, she's the oldest. She's really smart and driven. She's a hard worker."

"Again, I'm still feeling like there's something more."

"There is." Jong Kook sighs. "She said that her whole life went into upheaval before she came here to Korea. That everything was fine - happy family, boyfriend she was going to  _marry_ , promising career in development - and then suddenly, everything was different." He shifts uncomfortably.

Kwang Soo catches on quickly. "And you're thinking it's your fault, because of what you did at the fortune teller's place."

"Yes," Jong Kook admits. "And I feel... I don't know how I feel. I feel like I  _should_  feel bad, and I feel bad that I  _don't_  feel that bad. I feel selfish and I don't like it."

"Well, first of all, you can't know for sure anything that happened to her happened because of what you did."

"But -- "

"But you're right, it does seem like if a major shift in her left resulted in her landing in front of you, it might be your fault." Kwang Soo concedes. 

Jong Kook looks miserable.

"But what's done is done and she's here, right? So at this point, it shouldn't matter."

"But there's still the condition."

"The condition?"

Jong Kook remembers that he hadn't told his friends the condition of his deal with Ji Min. It seemed so small as to be unnecessary to even consider. "Yes. There's a condition the fortune teller gave me. In order for the whole thing to 'take,' I have to do something."

"And...?" Kwang Soo is waiting, now leaning forward toward his friend.

"And... I have to  _tell_  her what I did. Before she finds out on her own."

Kwang Soo sits back, absorbing Jong Kook's words. He runs a hand over his face. He's about to answer when a door at the top of the stairs swings open and Charity bounds out, hair wet, in a long night shirt with knee length leggings peeking out from underneath. The two men watch her head into the kitchen and pull a can of cola from the fridge before traipsing into the living room and flinging herself down on the couch near Kwang Soo.

"Hey, Kwang Soo, you ready? Other guy." She nods toward Jong Kook. He bristles.

"Yep," Kwang Soo answers. "Jong Kook, want to watch with us? It's called Lost and it is awesome. We ordered a ton of food that should be here any minute."

"There's plain boring chicken breasts for plain boring people in the fridge," Charity adds as she fiddles with the remote.

Jong Kook chews his lower lip as he fights off the response that bubbles up naturally, but then remembers his enormous gaffe earlier. He cringes. Before he can form a proper response, Kwang Soo starts explaining the show.

"Okay, so all these people were in a plane crash and they landed on this island. A lot of them died but all these ones here survived. There were some kids, but they disappeared. And there's something scary in the woods."

Jong Kook waits for Kwang Soo to continue, but he doesn't. He raises a brow at him.

"That's all we know," Kwang Soo explains. Charity grins, still watching the screen. "Cherry's seen it before, but she won't tell me anything. OH and there was a polar bear."

Jong Kook is about to question the island polar bear when the buzzer rings and Charity hops up to accept the food. As she's preparing plates and drinks in the kitchen, Kwang Soo points out the various characters on the island and explains what he knows about them. By the time Charity drops a plate of heated grilled chicken in front of him, he's as engrossed as Kwang Soo. The three watch through an entire episode in companionable silence broken only by occasional questions for clarification from the two men, and Charity volunteering explanations for subtitles that weren't quite accurate.

After an hour, the episode finishes. "Another?," Charity asks.

"Yes!," the two men reply together. 

Charity stands to gather the dishes and drops them back into the takeout basket. Jong Kook takes it from her hand and crosses the apartment to set it back outside the door for pickup by the restaurant delivery man. She nods at him as he returns, queueing up another episode. Just as the screen goes black and the white title floats into view, Charity's phone chimes. She picks it up from a side table and glances down at the message, then moves to stand up from the couch. 

Kwang Soo throws a leg over her lap, stopping her movement. "Not the biter," Kwang Soo pleads, looking at her with an open, sincere expression.

Charity glances down at her phone and back at Kwang Soo. A long moment passes with nothing said between the two before Charity nods shortly and settles back down into the couch, keying in a quick response text and setting her phone back down. With nothing more said, the three continue watching, only occasional gasps and "whoas" breaking the silence. They watch through the episode without moving and half of another before Charity's phone chimes again. She reads the message, then shoves Kwang Soo's legs off her lap, standing.

"Cherry!" Kwang Soo sits up and looks at her.

"It's  _not_  the biter this time," she says, grinning at him cheekily. "You guys feel free to keep watching, I've already seen the whole series," she calls over her shoulder as she jogs over to the stairs and up.

"Cherry!" Kwang Soo calls again, standing.

"See you tomorrow!" Her bedroom door slams shut and Kwang Soo drops back down.

"What's happening?" Jong Kook is confused by the whole exchange.

"She's going out," Kwang Soo replies.

"So? What's the big deal? Is it because you two had plans tonight?" Jong Kook is once again suspicious, something niggling at the corner of his mind about the relationship between Kwang Soo and the obnoxious woman.

"No. Well, yes. But no." Kwang Soo sighs, clearly frustrated. "I just don't like what she's doing with herself, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"She just... goes out with all these guys." Kwang Soo raises his hands helplessly.

"And you don't want her hanging out with other guys?"

"No, it's not - she's not  _hanging out_ , hyung." Kwang Soo looks at Jong Kook pointedly. Jong Kook's face colors as Kwang Soo's implication sinks in.

"I -- oh. Well." Jong Kook turns the information over in his mind. "Well, she's an adult, Kwang Soo. Why are you so worried about this?" Jong Kook prods gently, trying to get the answer he already suspects.

Kwang Soo shrugs. "I just don't want anything to happen that might make her leave Korea. She seems unhappy a lot, and when she's unhappy a lot, she goes  _out_  a lot, and it doesn't seem to make her any happier. And as you've seen, it doesn't seem to be a very good idea. And... I just don't want her to leave."

Jong Kook narrows his eyes. "Is there something you're not telling me, Kwang Soo?" He tries a more direct approach. Kwang Soo's eyes shift back toward the television.

"No, hyung," he says easily, staring at the screen. "Of course not."

Jong Kook watches him for a long moment, studying his face for an answer that's not forthcoming. He sighs.

"So, Hannah's boyfriend!" Kwang Soo changes the subject abruptly. "You said she was going to  _marry_  him?"

Jong Kook is still suspicious, but allows the conversation to move on, mostly because he needs to bounce his thoughts off his friend. "Yes, she said so. That they were planning to get married when they finished school and got their careers going."

"And what happened?"

"I think  _I_  happened." Jong Kook grimaces. "She said that she found out her father had been cheating on her mother. He even had two other children they didn't know about." Kwang Soo's brows shoot to the top of his forehead as Jong Kook continues. "And somehow, that lead to her falling out with her mother, who she was really close to previously. And then her boyfriend suggested pushing up their marriage, but she decided that if her parents' marriage couldn't survive, then she wasn't interested in marriage at all. Then she came to Korea."

"So some unfortunate things happened in her parents' marriage. That can't be  _your_  fault, could it, hyung?"

"I don't know... Initially, I thought that must have been it, what the breaking her string did. But she mentioned that her father had two children from his affairs - multiple affairs. That would mean it went on for some time, right?" Jong Kook looks to Kwang Soo for reassurance.

"Right."

"So that couldn't have been  _my_  fault."

"Right. So you shouldn't feel bad about that. There's no way of knowing what your choice did, really."

"But I have to tell her what I did. Isn't it possible  _she'll_  think that's it?"

"Well, you went on the day of Haha's wedding, right? That's an easy enough date to trace back. You'll have proof."

Jong Kook nods slowly. "Right... you're right. It shouldn't be a big deal." He thinks a second. "You know, when I first agreed to the condition, I figured I'd tell whoever it was what I did right away. That it  _wouldn't_  be a big deal, and that she'd understand. But now that I've met Hannah, it doesn't feel so easy. I haven't found a spot to work it into conversation. How do I even do that? 'Are you enjoying Korea? Do you want to stay forever? Because I changed your entire life so you would.' How do I  _say_  that without sounding like a complete lunatic? How did Ji Min make it sound so small and easy?"

Kwang Soo kicks his feet up on the coffee table. "It will be small and easy, hyung. You're just thinking about how it would go  _now_. What about a little farther down the road, when the two of you are both attached to each other? I would think a soul mate would be appreciative at that point."

Jong Kook nods.

"And besides," Kwang Soo continues. "How is she even going to find out what you did? I won't tell her. Don't bring her around Haha and Gary and you've got nothing to worry about. We're the only ones who know, and we won't mess this up for you. You can take your time."

"You're right, Kwang Soo. I can work up to it as we get to know each other."

"But backing up a bit, hyung... Did you say Hannah  _never_  wants to get married?"

"That's what she said."

"But  _you_  want to get married."

"Well, yes. I do. You know I do."

"She could change her mind."

"Of course she'll change her mind," Jong Kook says confidently. "We're soul mates."

"But, hyung," Kwang Soo says slowly. "Did the fortune teller  _say_  you'd get married?"

"Yes, she did. She... " Jong Kook falters. "She said our paths would wind over each other forever."

Kwang Soo stares at Jong Kook silently.

"She said... Look, I don't remember the exact wording, but she said we'd be together forever, and that means married." Jong Kook says finally, the set of his jaw brooking no argument.

"Right, hyung. Besides, everyone is like that after a breakup. I can't count how many times I've sworn off women forever."

"Is that because you can't count how many times you've been broken up with?" Jong Kook grins and neatly catches the pillow flung by an irritated Kwang Soo.

The door at the top of the stairs reopens and a changed Charity emerges. Like the morning Jong Kook tended to her shoulder, she wears heavy makeup, dark eyes and red lips. Her hair tumbles down to her butt, a complete 180 from her normal tousled but contained bun. Kwang Soo hops to his feet as he hears her clatter down the stairs in heeled boots.

He crosses his arms over his chest. "Your clothes are too tight."

Charity checks her makeup in a mirror by the door as she slings a small bag over her shoulder. "I'll take them right off,  _Dad_." She grins at him over her shoulder and runs a hand through her hair with one last glance in the mirror. She reaches for the doorknob. "Night, guys!"

"Cherry." Kwang Soo tries one more time, genuine concern in his eyes. Jong Kook watches the exchange with interest. They seem to know each other so well that they communicate across the room without words. Jong Kook is once again left wondering how such a friendship developed right under his nose.

Charity sighs and runs across the room, slinging an arm around Kwang Soo's waist. She murmurs something to him quietly, then pats his shoulder, holding eye contact for a moment. Kwang Soo nods. 

"Just... be careful," he sighs finally, sitting down and turning back toward the television.

"I will! Good night!" She heads for the door again.

"Charity." Jong Kook is the one who speaks up now, causing her to pause right as she's about to exit. He jogs across the apartment, standing just inside the door as she stands right outside. "About this morning."

She shakes her head, the corners of her mouth turning down.

"I didn't... I thought... "

"You didn't know," she finishes for him. "It's fine." She turns to leave and he grabs her shoulder.

"It's not fine. I was rude and insensitive. I want to make it up to you."

Charity snorts. "Oh, yeah? How?"

"Kwang Soo said you like to... go out... when you're upset."

Charity's eyes narrow and she shakes his hand off her shoulder.

"If I upset you, then I should be the one to make you feel better. Please tell me how I can do that. Truly. We've gotten off on the wrong foot, many times, and still you've been kind... sort of... and let me stay here. If I've been the one responsible for making you feel bad, the least I can do is make you feel better."

Charity's gaze suddenly turns predatory, shocking Jong Kook. In a split second, she grabs his arm and yanks him into the hall, the door slamming closed behind him. She takes advantage of the moment he's stunned and pushes him against the wall, pressing her body close to his. He can smell the shampoo she uses, her hair whipping around just beneath his nose. He draws in a quick breath as, without hesitation, she slides two fingers around the waistband of his gym shorts. She presses even closer.

"You want to be the one to make me feel better?," she whispers against his neck. He shivers involuntarily. Her hand slides a bit farther, fingers wrapping around his bare hip, low. He feels frozen on the spot, his hands limp and useless at his sides. "That could be arranged." He feels her tongue touch lightly just beneath his ear, her body rubbing against his as she stands on her toes to reach the sensitive area. A small sound escapes him as he clenches his teeth together.

She leans her lower body into his. "We can go right back inside and you can make me feel better right now, if that's what you want." Her teeth graze his shoulder lightly as she slowly lowers down from her toes, her soft body dragging against his in a seemingly endless moment.

She places both hands on his now tensed biceps and pushes herself back to look up at him appraisingly. His mouth drops open, but nothing comes out. She slides a hand up and pats him on the cheek gently. "So that's a no?" She pushes back fully and stands in front of him, looking him up and down slowly. Jong Kook's face is on fire.

"Maybe next time." She winks at him, mouth turned up slyly, and spins on her heel. She tosses up an arm as she walks away toward the elevator. "Have a good night now." She steps into the elevator and turns to look back at him. "When you're ready to move, it's 4-8-9-4 to let yourself back in." She waggles her fingers at him as the doors slide shut.


	20. An offer of murder

Jong Kook wakes early the next morning, about 20 minutes before his alarm was set to sound. He blinks in the darkness, the sun not yet up, and tries to orient himself and figure out what woke him. The sound of the apartment door banging closed clues him in, and he glances at the clock as he listens to heavy feet stumble up the stairs opposite his room. 

4:10am. He shakes his head, not feeling especially charitable toward the brash woman after her display last night left him feeling weak and at her mercy. He'd eventually stormed back into the apartment and into "his" room, pacing the floor to calm himself, to restrain himself from chasing after her and giving her a piece of his mind. After fifteen minutes or so, Kwang Soo had been able to coax him back out to finish watching the show together, but he remained tight lipped until they both went to bed, refusing to discuss what had happened in the hallway. He'd missed most of the plot of the episode they finished up, as he'd directed his attention to mentally rewriting the hallway scene in a way that involved blasting Charity with a blistering set down that had her begging his forgiveness and apologizing for every rude thing she'd ever said to him.

He runs his hands over his face as he sits up on the side of the bed, trying to fight back the heat in his cheeks that still insists on appearing when the feel of Charity's soft body pressed against his plays through his mind on uncontrollable repeat.  _How dare she_ , he thinks.  _How dare she. Like I would ever. She's not even my type. She smells so good. I don't even like her._   _So forward and reckless. No, thank you._  He scowls, wishing he told her off when he had the chance, no longer feeling the least bit guilty over his previous conversational missteps with the women.  _We're even._

Awake now, he gathers his things to head to the shower before Kwang Soo starts stirring, jumping on the chance to be able to grab more than five minutes for his own admittedly elaborate grooming routines. He's out of his room and halfway across the dark apartment when Charity's door opens and her form appears silhouetted in the frame. Her arms cradle a pile of objects he can't make out as she shuffles toward the stairs. Nearly at the bottom, she slips, thudding down the last couple of steps on her butt, bottles and jars rolling away around the foyer.

"Whoops!," she says laughingly from a heap on the floor, and begins crawling around to regather her items. 

Jong Kook is instantly at her side, animosity briefly forgotten. "Are you okay?," he says, grasping her by the upper arm. The smell of alcohol mixed with a spicy, musky perfume hits him, at once alluring and repulsive. He doesn't fight back the sour look of disapproval on his face and he eyes her up and down for any signs of blood or obvious injury.

"Just fine!" She sits down hard on her bottom and leans to feel under the stairs, triumphantly pulling out a plastic bottle of green liquid after just a moment, adding it to the somewhat impressive heap piled between her legs now. "How are you?" She looks up at him and smiles widely, looking genuinely friendly. "It's nice to see you!" She flings an arm around his shoulder sloppily, dropping her head against his chest briefly before pulling back and patting it with her hand. She looks up at him and raises her brows, nodding approvingly. His lips twitch in a small smile despite himself. Charity seems so much more bearable when she's clearly plastered.

She attempts to stand with all her bottles and jars in her arms but only succeeds in overbalancing herself back to the floor. She lies there in her striped nightshirt, everything clutched tightly to her chest, grinning up at the ceiling. Jong Kook looms over her and reflexively grins back as he starts to unload her arms into his own. 

"Let me help you."

"Thank you!," she exclaims, sitting up. "You're a nice man, you know that?"

"I do know that. Do you?" He sets the bottles on a low stair and stands, extending a hand to Charity and hauling her up. She stumbles off balance and falls against him before righting himself. He fights back the instant flashback from the previous evening. She holds out her hands for her things. 

"Of course I know that. Every time you've forgotten you met me, everyone assures me of what a nice man you are, really, underneath all that behaving like a thoughtless asshole." She smiles warmly, clearly joking. She looks completely different, relaxed, though her eyes are visibly hazed by alcohol.

Jong Kook shakes his head, no defense readily coming to his lips. "Where are you taking all these?"

"To the bathroom," Charity gestures widely with her arm, almost throwing herself off balance again. "My sink isn't working again and I've got to wash off my makeup before bed."

Jong Kook leads the way to the bathroom and she trails behind. "Bed?," he asks. "It's just past 4am. Don't you have to work soon?" He tumbles his armload onto the countertop and steps back as Charity begins to rummage through the assortment.

"I am amazing on an hour of sleep," she informs him, nodding sagely over her shoulder. "I could show you sometime." She winks cheekily and then snort-laughs at herself. "No, I'm kidding. I won't do that again, I promise." She turns and stands too close, resting a palm on his chest and looking up at him. He fights the urge to step away. "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I won't lie, throwing you off balance -  _hic_  - was fun, but by the time I got downstairs, I felt awful. I wanted to come back and apologize, but..." She trails off. She grimaces and pales. "Ugh, I don't feel so good." Turning back to the counter, she slides a ponytail holder off her wrist and pulls her waist length hair up in a messy knob on top of her head, nearly whacking Jong Kook with the ends as she efficiently whips it around. "Were you about to shower? I'll just be a minute." She rummages through the containers like she's wearing boxing gloves, knocking a couple to the floor. "Where is the... " She leans down close to the countertop, trying to read the labels on the bottles. "Oh, man." 

Jong Kook slides his phone from his pocket to look at the time, realizing Kwang Soo will be up any moment. "Let me help," he says. "What are you looking for?" He nudges her aside and looks down at the containers in front of him.

"Ummm a tall purple bottle with a silver lid."

Jong Kook quickly locates the item sought and hands it to her before he bends to collect the bottles from the floor. When he stands, she's gently sweeping a cotton ball over her eyes, clearing away the dark, smudged circles ringing them. She leans toward the mirror to check her work, stretching up to her toes to get close for examination. Unsatisfied, she soaks another cotton ball and makes another couple of passes over each eye. 

Jong Kook shifts from foot to foot impatiently, but Charity doesn't seem as though she'll be hurried. After a long couple of moments, she tosses the used cotton balls toward the trash can, not noticing as they land in the toilet instead.

"Now what?," Jong Kook says, his tone urging her along.

"Short purple jar with a silver lid."

He locates it immediately and hands it to her, watching in growing annoyance as she deliberately scoops some white material from the jar and rubs it over her entire face. Bright pale skin emerges from beneath a thick layer of makeup, rapidly turning pink from all the rubbing.

After coating every little millimeter of skin, she leans over the sink to rinse, tossing water every which way as she does so. After patting her face dry, she performs another examination close to the mirror. Jong Kook can see her eyes crossing as she tries to focus them. 

"Done?," he asks, taking her by the elbow and preparing to lead her out of the room.

"No!," she says, too loudly. "Now I need to wash my face."

"Yah, what did you just do?," he yells, finally exploding.

She blinks at him through the mirror, unfazed. "I took my makeup off, and now I need to wash my face. I need the bottle with the orange stuff." She holds out her hand and he grinds his teeth as he passes her the bottle. She grins at him. "Ah, cute. So angry!" She makes claws with her hands and swipes one at him. "Are you going to bite me?" She bats her lashes at him.

"Charity...," he says, warningly.

She unclaws her hands and holds them both up in compliance. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." She washes her face quickly and pats it dry again. "Green stuff." She holds out her hand and he hands her a bottle of toner, working like a surgical team. "Silver tube!" She rubs a milky gel over her face and rinses again. "Thing with the squeezy lid!"

He watches her spread a serum over her face and neck.

"Are you almost finished?"

"Uh huh. Pink stuff!"

He hands her a small tub of lotion. "There's no way you possible need to do all of this stuff until you're in your 30s, Charity."

She screws the lid back on the tub. "Well, I'm 35, so."

Jong Kook's eyes widen in shock. "Oh. Well. Carry on, then."

"All finished," she declares, giving herself a final look in the mirror, skin pink and pale, messy bun sliding off her head. "Are you going to take a shower now?" She looks him up and down, biting her tongue between her teeth as her eyes drag over every inch of his body.

He sighs. "Don't you need to get going to that hour of sleep?" He rolls his eyes at her, but still self-consciously moves to hold his towel in front of his body.

She nods. "You're right. You're right! I'm going to go to bed for an hour and then I'll show you, I am  _amazing_  on next to no sleep." She moves to skip out of the bathroom, stumbling to a halt just as she's passing and flinging her arms around his waist. "Let's not hate each other, okay?," she mumbles into his chest. "I don't like not liking people."

Jong Kook is momentarily lost for words as six thousand responses speed through his mind. She  _started_  it by being so rude. And molesting him in the hallway! He might not hate her, but he's certainly not going to like her. But then, he also forgot he met her. More than once. And kind of called her fat. And poked fun at her dead husband in anger. He grits his teeth as he sets her body away from his. 

"I haven't been kind to you, but you haven't been kind to me," he starts. 

She nods vigorously in agreement, paling slightly with the movement.

"But you let me stay here," he concedes.

"And you fixed my shoulder," she says, spinning around and tugging her shirt up to show her back. His lips pull back from his teeth in a grimace as he looks over the scabbed, deeply bruised wound. She spins back around. "So let's just... " 

"Start over?," he suggests.

"Yes. Yes, let's. We're making poor Kwang Soo constipated by disliking each other, anyway."

"All right." He nods firmly, telling himself to set his legitimate gripes out of mind. For Kwang Soo, who seems so attached to Charity and the apartment. For himself, and his convenient crash pad with his friend near by. For sticking it to all the other members, who apparently rely on the same crash pad from time to time. 

"Excellent!" Charity claps her hands together and hiccups, spins on her heel, and leaves the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Jong Kook looks down at his phone and his eyes bulge out in surprise. He quickly strips down and hops in the shower before the water has fully warmed, just in time to hear Kwang Soo start banging on the door.

"Hyung! HYUNG! I need to shower, too!"

Jong Kook ignores him and takes his time.

He exits the steamy bathroom twenty minutes later to see an exasperated Kwang Soo leaning against the opposite wall, towel in hand. Kwang Soo glowers.

"Sorry," Jong Kook says blithely. "I have a lot of muscles to wash."

* * *

The cast had groaned when they pulled up to the mud flats, knowing they were in for a long, damp, cold day. They're now at lunch, scrambling to get clean, dry, presentable, and still find some time to eat.

Cleaning off quickly, Jong Kook grabs a few private minutes to check his phone. He'd messaged Hannah on the drive over and is hoping for a response, though he knows she's got a busy day.

To his delight, his phone indicates a message arrived moments ago.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Hey! It's going okay. So much handshaking. Such high heels. How's your day going?_

_**kjk76:**  Good. A little messy. It's going to be a long one, I think. I didn't wear heels, so I've got that going for me._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Funny man! I'd like to see you manage two minutes in heels._

_**kjk76:**  I think a quick YouTube search would clue you in to one of my many, many talents._

_**HannahBanana799476:** I know what I'm doing for the rest of this break!_

_**kjk76:** ;-) Let me know what you think. Are you having lunch now?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Sort of. I grabbed an apple and a banana and I'm hiding out in the hospital atrium. Had to get away from Daniel!_

Jong Kook's hackles are immediately up. 

**_kjk76:_ ** _Why? What's going on?_

He sits down at the long table with the rest of the cast and Kwang Soo sets a plate of food in front of him. He barely notices, staring at his phone and bouncing his knee with agitated energy as he waits for a response.

_**HannahBanana799476:** He's just being awful. Every time the directors ask a question, he jumps in and answers, even if I'm talking. He just talks right over me! It's getting really frustrating. _

_**HannahBanana799476:** And it doesn't even seem to matter if I'm asked a direct question. One time, he laughed, held out his hand for me to stop, and corrected me. And he was WRONG! I almost ripped off his hand to slap him with it._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  AND he keeps making jokes about how easy studying is going to be while he lives with a woman who can handle the cooking and cleaning! I had to get away or I was going to LOSE IT._

_**kjk76:**  Listen, to you need me to kill him? Because I'll kill him._

Jong Kook can sense the tension in Hannah's messages, even through the phone. He actually believes he might kill Daniel, or at least mostly kill him, if Hannah says the word.

**_HannahBanana799476:_ ** _Haha! I appreciate the offer, but I don't think we're close enough yet for me to have you do all my dirty work. I'm going to talk to him on our next break. He probably doesn't even realize what he's doing. It's our first day, we're both nervous._

Jong Kook somehow doubts Daniel is oblivious to his own actions.

**_HannahBanana799476:_ ** _And if he's not responsive, I'll kill him myself._

A relieved grin spreads across Jong Kook's face. He's pleased to see how well Hannah stands up for herself. She's got spunk, and as he's gotten older, he knows he needs that from a partner. Someone not always willing to bend or roll over to his admittedly dominant personality. Someone who will pair well with him, work with him, and even stand up to him if necessary.

_**kjk76:**  Good for you. I want to hear about how it goes and if you need help hiding the body. Text me later?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  You bet! Have a great rest of your day! XOXO_

Jong Kook immediately flushes bright red, drawing the attention of the eagle eyed Jae Suk from across the table.

"Yaaah, Jong Kookie! What's going on on your phone over there?"

The phone is immediately shoved into the pocket of his shorts. "Nothing."

"Nothing? Then why is your face so red? Talking to a woman?," Jae Suk continues to jab at him.

Haha notes Jong Kook's discomfort and swoops in.

"Forget it, forget it. I need to talk to the fathers. Dream is making Byul crazy, and that means Byul is making  _me_  crazy. He keeps getting into everything and he throws his food and he won't take naps, and she's so cranky all the time. What can I do? My mother is there almost all day every single day to help her, but it doesn't seem to make a difference."

Suk Jin speaks up immediately. "Stay out of the house as much as you can."

Ji Hyo swats at the older man. "Oppa! That's terrible advice."

Jae Suk answers more thoughtfully. "You know, I've always worked so much that I wasn't around a lot when my son was that age. I guess I do remember my wife being pretty tense, but... regrettably, I don't know much about how she got through it."

He scans the table briefly, eyes lighting on Charity, who has just appeared at Ji Hyo's side with face powder and ponytail holders.

"Hey, Cherry," he says to get the woman's attention. She glances up.

"Haha says his son is making his wife crazy and he doesn't know how to support her. Any ideas? My son is almost five and honestly, I don't know how my wife does it and I'm afraid to ask."

"Hm," she replies. Ji Hyo slides down the bench a bit, bumping Suk Jin nearly off the edge to make room for her assitant to sit. "My daughter's almost five as well."

Jong Kook chokes on the sip of water he just swallowed, sputtering and coughing. Kwang Soo pounds him on the back energetically, while everyone else ignores him.

"How old is Dream now, Haha? Almost two, right?" She sucks air in through her teeth and shakes her head. "Tough age. Really tough age."

"Well, I ask my mother to go there to help her almost every single day," Haha supplies. "She loves my son and doesn't mind taking over for Go Eun any time."

Charity winces. "Really? I've got my own mother in law issues, so I won't speak to that, but maybe ask your wife if  _she_  wants so much help. Aside from that... When my husband and I thought about having another kid -" she pauses briefly and swallows before continuing. Jong Kook and Kwang Soo lower their heads slightly. "- what made it seem possible was that everything ends."

"What do you mean?," asks Haha.

"Well, like I said, Zoe is almost five. And she was two once, but now she's not. And she was a crying infant who wouldn't sleep more than an hour at a time once, but now she's not. And from where I'm sitting, she wasn't either of those things for that long. When you bring a new baby home, there's this feeling of, 'oh shit, what have we done, this is our lives now, we're never going to sleep again and everything is ruined,' you know?" She grins at Haha who is nodding furiously.

"You think that this is your whole life now, and it is for a while, and it  _sucks_ , but gradually, so slowly you can't tell if it's really happening or you're just imagining it, it gets better. And you do get to sleep and you eventually can leave your house as a family without having to immediately run back home because it's too hard. And that perspective - which takes a long time to achieve - can give you a lot of sanity. Remind Go Eun of that. Don't tell her she should be cherishing these moments because they pass so quickly, because she'll punch you in the face and rightfully so. But just, you know. This too shall pass."

Haha nods slowly. 

"And don't pass the baby off to your mother all the time," Charity adds. "Take him yourself as much as you can. And  _ask_  your wife what you can do for her. Bringing home flowers is nice, but it's not solving anything."

Haha looks abashed, flowers being his usual go to when he knows Byul's had a long day with their son.

"When does your daughter arrive, Cherry?," Jae Suk asks.

Her face lights up. "Two more days."

"And she'll stay with you now?"

Her smile wavers for a moment. "No. Just a week. The agreement is that she'll stay with her grandparents - my in-laws - to finish out this year of pre-K and spend the summer,  _then_  she'll come to me to stay."

"If you don't mind me asking," Suk Jin ventures, "how did that happen?"

Charity sighs. "Well, in the states, some states, there's something called Grandparents' Rights. If a couple divorces, or one dies, the grandparents on that side can sue for visitation if they can prove they've played a major role in the child's life, and that it would be detrimental to the child to lose contact. My husband kept his parents  _very_  involved, and my daughter loves them." Charity's lip curls, indicating that she doesn't much agree with her daughter's taste. "Rather than work something out with me like reasonable adults, they sued for partial custody after he died. They knew that I was continuing with our plans to come to Korea, and they thought they could stop me." She shrugs. "They couldn't. This has been a great opportunity for me." She smiles at Ji Hyo, who ducks her head and smiles back. "In a lot of ways. Ji Hyo provides the work visa I need while I get other things established. By the time all is said and done, I'll have given up a little less than a year of my daughter's life to people who love her almost as much as I do, and used that time to set us up well enough that we never have to see those assholes again." Her tone turns vicious at the end, and the rest of the table sits in jaw-dropped silence.

"And... you have a killer apartment," Kwang Soo finally says awkwardly.

"Killer," she agrees, nodding at him as she stands up from the table. "Ji Hyo, can we go over your schedule for tomorrow?" The actress nods and follows her away from the table.

"So, what  _were_  you blushing about, hyung?," Kwang Soo asks.

Jong Kook busies himself shoveling his food into his mouth and before Kwang Soo can press further, they're called back to the games.

* * *

Later, the two men arrive back at Charity's apartment together after another meal with the cast. They don't often get to eat all together after filming anymore, due to schedules and expanding families and other obligations, so it's quite late by the time they separate for the night.

Entering the apartment, the men find Charity already there and out of her daytime look and into her evening style. As he's finally adjusting to the two entirely different women inhabiting Charity's body, he's not at all fazed by the knee length black boots she's tugging on over questionably tight jeans.

"Hey," she nods to them, standing and moving to look at herself in the mirror beside the door.

They nod back.

"Going out?," Kwang Soo asks almost icily.

"I am," she replies. "Off day tomorrow, right? What're you up to? I think I'm going to shop for some things for Zoe and do some cooking." She finishes checking her face in the mirror and loosens her bun, letting her hair tumble down her back. A light aura of her unique perfume wafts toward Jong Kook, momentarily throwing him mentally off balance.

"I thought I'd hang out with Jong Kook tomorrow," Kwang Soo says stiffly.

Jong Kook blinks as he shakes himself out of his perfume-induced fog, hearing this news for the first time.

"All right. Night, Kwang Soo." She slings an arm around his waist and hugs him from the side quickly, giving him a small squeeze. "Jong Kook." She nods toward him and then she's gone. 

"Hey, she remembered your name, hyung!"

"She's always remembered my name, Kwang Soo."

"Yes, but still, she used it! She must be warming up to you."

 _"Or honoring her drunken word to start over,"_ Jong Kook thinks. "Never mind what's up with us, what's up with you two? What's with the attitude, Kwang Soo?"

They move toward the living room, each taking a moment to toss their bags into their rooms.

Kwang Soo sighs. "You know I like Cherry a lot, right, hyung?"

"I am beginning to see that, yes."

"To be honest, I don't really know what it is. I've felt kind of drawn to her since the first night Ji Hyo brought me here."

Jong Kook briefly wonders how that could even be possible, for the gentle, big-hearted Kwang Soo to be attracted to such a cactus, but nods and stays quiet, waiting for him to continue.

They flop down on the couches opposite each other. Kwang Soo lies on his back and stares up at the ceiling.

"You've reminded me a couple of times now that Cherry is an adult and can make her own choices, but... she's making  _bad_  choices, hyung." He swings his legs back over the side of the couch and sits up, leaning forward with his knees on his elbows. "I feel like she's all alone here in Korea, and kind of all alone in general, and she's not doing well with it."

"To be honest with you, Kwang Soo, she strikes me as exactly the kind of person who would do well with it. I think she likes to be alone."

"No, hyung," Kwang Soo corrects. "She  _doesn't_. Why do you think she lets anyone stay here? Including you? If she wanted to be alone, she wouldn't let  _me_  stay, let alone you."

Jong Kook inclines his head, conceding the point.

"And when it really gets to her, she goes out to... not be alone. And I don't really understand why it bothers me so much, but it does. It is making me feel anxious and urgent and I want her to stop. And she won't. And it makes me angry."

"Why do you think that is?" Jong Kook's phone chimes in his pocket, but he ignores it, focusing on Kwang Soo. "Why does what Charity chooses to do with her time make you mad?"

"Because... " Kwang Soo's jaw works as he searches for the words. "Because what if she has a bad experience and leaves Korea? Or what if she starts missing meetings and stuff and can't get herself established the way she wants to?"

Jong Kook raises his eyebrows.

Kwang Soo shakes his head and stands. "I don't think I can explain it, hyung. I just want her to be happy and stay here. And I don't know how to make sure that happens." He pats Jong Kook on the shoulder as he heads to bed. "I'm tired. Good night."

"Night," Jong Kook returns. Instead of taking a few moments to ponder Kwang Soo's anxiety, he slides his phone out of his pocket.

_**HannahBanana799476:** You awake, Mr. Kim Jong Kook?_

**_kjk76:_ ** _I am, how did it go with Daniel?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Right to the point, huh? It went well! I was really surprised. I told him that I didn't appreciate him talking over me, and that I could speak for myself. I explained that I felt he was making me look meek and unsure in front of our bosses' bosses' bosses, and to please stop._

_**kjk76:**  And how did he take that?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Really well! He said he was sorry I was upset, and he didn't realize it would bother me. And that he was just trying to 'cover for me,' since I seemed so nervous. Which was kind of weird, because if you ask me, he was the one who was nervous. He practically sweat through his shirt before we even arrived this morning._

_**kjk76:**  What about the cooking and the cleaning?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I didn't bring that part up. I'm sure he was joking. He can't actually expect me to cook for him and clean up for him while he studies. We're in the same program!_

**_kjk76:_ ** _I know you said it was tough to get in. Is what you'll be doing now just as competitive?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  In some ways. There are a limited number of fellowships available after we finish this program. Some are more prestigious than others, but all are good. Of course I have my eye on the best one._

_**kjk76:**  Of course you do. Does Daniel?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Probably. Why would you do something at all if you weren't aiming for the top? But can I be honest?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** He doesn't have a shot against me. _

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Is that too arrogant to say?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Never mind, I don't care. It's true. Even if I did all the cooking and cleaning while he studied to get ahead of me, he couldn't do it. I'm unstoppable._

_**kjk76:**  Somehow, I believe you. You said you're doing tourist things tomorrow. Anything fun?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I don't really know for sure. Daniel picked the schedule for us while I was hiding out at the lunch break. _

_"Of course he did," Jong Kook thinks._

_**kjk76:**  Well, hopefully he made some good choices. I only have a few meetings tomorrow, so feel free to text me your impressions._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I will! Have a good night!_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  And Mr. Kim Jong Kook?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Thank you for being here for me right from the start. You're really great. XOXO_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I don't know, you guys. I know where I am in this story and I know where I need to end up, but sometimes the path to get there gets windy. What can I say? I'm a windy person. Get it? Windy/windy? Because they look the same but... okay, that joke would work better out loud, but trust me, I'm hilarious.
> 
> See you again soon!


	21. Noona? NOONA!

With an early filming Sunday morning, the three apartment dwellers stumbled out of the house together near dawn with not many words exchanged. Charity looked even more exhausted than usual as they had separated in the building's lobby. Jong Kook moved to ask Kwang Soo what time she had come in that morning, but the aggravated set of his jaw spoke volumes. Now, after a rather efficient filming, the cast gets ready to head in their own directions.

"Kwang Soo, did you really want to hang out today, or were you just trying to avoid Charity?"

"I mostly wanted to avoid Cherry, hyung," he says, glancing over to where she's helping Ji Hyo gather her belongings. "But what do you have planned for the rest of the day? Anything interesting?"

"I'm actually really tired. I don't feel like I've been getting much rest lately."

"Staying awake daydreaming about Hannah?," Kwang Soo ribs with a grin.

Jong Kook grins back and ducks his head, not even pretending to deny it.

"When do you two meet again, hyung?"

"Tomorrow. We're going to the gym."

A sudden burst of laughter startles the pair and they turn to see Gary behind them carrying his own bag. 

"You're really going through with it? You're really taking her to the gym? For a date?"

"She thought it was a great idea," Jong Kook informs Gary indignantly.

Gary considers this for a moment, then concedes by inclining his head slightly. "I suppose your soulmate would spend a good deal of her time there. Let me know how it goes," he calls over his shoulder and walks out to his ride.

"Anyway, I'm going to ride back to Cherry's and get my stuff. I'm going to spend a few days at home. What about you, want to ride back with me?," Kwang Soo asks, pushing the building door open and holding it for Jong Kook.

"Sure," Jong Kook agrees. "I think I'm going to stay another night to pick up Hannah for the gym tomorrow, think Charity will mind if I stay without you?"

"Nah," Kwang Soo says, opening the door to his manager's van and climbing in, Jong Kook right behind. "She won't care. Her daughter arrives tomorrow, so she should probably be in a good mood, even."

"Oh, right. I should probably head home after tonight, then."

"Mmm." Kwang Soo is noncommittal. "I doubt she'd mind if you kept staying. We were talking about Zoe - that's her daughter, I promise you haven't met her," Kwang Soo grins cheekily and Jong Kook elbows him in the side as the van pulls away. "Haha, hyung, I'm just joking with you. Anyway, Cherry and I talked about Zoe coming and she'll stay in Cherry's room with her. She thinks the guest rooms are too far away from her own room in case Zoe gets confused or upset in the night and wants to keep her close." He smiles fondly. "I doubt she'd mind you continuing to use the guest room."

Jong Kook nods and looks out the window, watching the crowds and traffic of Seoul pass by. The two ride in companionable silence until they arrive at Charity's apartment a short time later. Kwang Soo directs the driver into the basement garage and they hop out. At the elevator, they run into Charity looking down at her phone.

"Cherry." Kwang Soo nods stiffly in her direction. She glances up and nods back. She shifts her eyes to Jong Kook and nods to him as well, and they all step into the elevator. During the ride, the tension in the air is thick, and weirdly, it's between Kwang Soo and Charity rather than Jong Kook and Charity. He debates saying something to break the silence but decides against it. Let Kwang Soo be the one on her bad side for a while. A quick glance at Kwang Soo and his pursed lips and narrowed eyes seems to communicate that he's the only one irritated, however. Charity is oblivious, scrolling through her phone without looking up.

They enter the apartment, still not speaking. Charity wanders to the bottom step and unlaces her boots laboriously, one hand still holding her phone to her face. Kwang Soo looks at her for a long moment, shakes his head, and enters the kitchen. Jong Kook lingers for a moment, trying to think of something to say to make the situation feel less awkward. In the end, he just follows Kwang Soo. He doesn't fully grasp why Kwang Soo is so invested in Charity's extracurricular activities and he definitely doesn't understand why it makes him angry. Charity seems totally unfazed, so he opts to follow his friend. If Kwang Soo wants to talk about it, he will.

As the two men look into the refrigerator, they hear Charity's door close gently at the top of the stairs. Kwang Soo visibly relaxes.

"So what do you want to eat, hyung? There's not as much in here as usual, but I think Cherry did say she's going shopping today. Oh, here's some soup... and some chicken. Sound good?"

"Mm." Jong Kook nods in confirmation, turning to pull dishes from the cabinet as Kwang Soo is taking lids off of containers. "Should we... go shopping with her? Or give her some money for food? We eat here a lot."

"You can if you'd like," Kwang Soo says. "I do try to give her money from time to time, but she just turns right around and buys dinner for us both or gets stuff at the market for me that I know she doesn't like. Still, it makes me feel better."

Jong Kook nods. "And she doesn't take any money for rent or anything?" He sets two places at the stools in front of the island.

"Nope." Kwang Soo circles around the corner to join Jong Kook, sitting down on a stool while he waits for their food to warm. "She doesn't pay rent, she owns this apartment outright."

"She does not!," Jong Kook responds in shock.

"She does," Kwang Soo confirms. I think she pays utilities and some kind of dues for the facilities like the gym and the concierge service and all of that, but she says it's nominal." He shrugs. "I'd argue with her, but..." he grins at Jong Kook, who nods in response.

"It's not a good idea to go down that road." 

"Right." Kwang Soo nods. "Though I guess I'm kind of on that road in the moment."

"She doesn't seem to be fighting you back, though." Jong Kook watches Kwang Soo plate their now warm food.

"She's not," Kwang Soo agrees. "It's not that she doesn't know I'm mad or doesn't care, it's just that she has no intention of changing her behavior. She's sorry it bothers me and is just waiting for me to get over it."

"Maybe you should," Jong Kook suggests gently. 

Kwang Soo nods, looking down at his plate. The two men eat quietly for a few moments before Charity comes clattering down the stairs. She sits to pull her boots back on. "I'm off," she says. "Do either of you need anything from the store?" Both men shake their heads.

"All right." She stands. "Sorry the fridge is almost empty. I'll be back later this afternoon." She slings a small purse across her body and adjusts her messy bun in the mirror in the hall, seeming to actually make it worse. "Later!," she calls as she heads to the door. "Oh!" She pops back around the corner. "Laundry tomorrow. Leave it by the door. Bye!" She bounds away, downright cheerful.

"She does your laundry?," Jong Kook asks Kwang Soo incredulously. "Is that any way to treat your noona?"

"No, hyung!" Kwang Soo flushes. "I asked her if she had a washer and dryer but she doesn't, she hates to do laundry. She sends hers out. I just send mine along. You can, too. And she's not my noona," he finishes indignantly.

Jong Kook raises a brow. "Yes, she is."

"No, she's not, hyung! And you better not tell her you think she looks older than me."

"Yah, Kwang Soo." Jong Kook tries to stifle his laughter. "She's 35!"

"No, she's not!"

"She is! She told me!"

"She's... she's putting you on," Kwang Soo falters.

"Nope," Jong Kook shakes his head. "She's 35, Kwang Soo. You've been treating your noona pretty poorly, huh?"

"I didn't... oh, man!" Kwang Soo leaps from his stool and charges down the hall toward the door, attempting to catch Charity before she vanishes into the elevator. "NOONA! NOONA, WAIT UP! NOONA, I'M SORRY."

Jong Kook chuckles down at his plate of food as Kwang Soo's frantic voice is cut off by the slamming door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, guys! So sorry! Good news, though: my freelance contract is coming to an end and I'm about to be gloriously unemployed, so let's not be apart ever again, okay?
> 
> Welcome, new readers! I'm sorry to treat you so shabbily with this short chapter, but I'm immediately at work proofing the next bit and just wanted to get something out there to get my momentum going again.  
> How have you all been? I've missed you!
> 
> See you again soon!


	22. Splish splash

A few hours after Kwang Soo's mad dash after Charity, the two part ways. Kwang Soo gathers his things from "his" room and heads out for home, planning to spend a day or two with family since he has a couple of free days. Before he leaves, he shows Jong Kook where to drop his laundry, leaving his own in a heap by the front door.

Jong Kook ambles around the apartment a bit, feeling strange to be left there on his own. However, with the temperature between him and Charity finally rising above frigid, staying has become more appealing. The apartment is convenient to most of his appointments, he and Kwang Soo are often going the same way, and it's also kind of nice to be staying on his own. Not that he's exactly alone staying at Charity's, but there's a difference between staying with a friends - well, a friend and a Charity - and staying at home in the same apartment as his parents. Especially now that he's seeing Hannah. Questions from family can wait while he gets their relationship established.

He removes a couple of glasses from the sink, washing them and putting them away. He gives the floor a quick sweep and wipes down the surfaces in the bathroom he and Kwang Soo use. He carries a bag of trash to the trash chute and places a fresh bag in the bin. Looking around, there isn't much left for him to do. His schedule is also surprisingly clear for the rest of the afternoon, so, lacking anything else to do, he decides to hit the gym in the building.

After changing, he heads out of the apartment and over to the small fitness center the apartments on the top few floors share. A sign on the way in states the gym is only unlocked until 2pm on Sundays, so he immediately gets to work with a compressed routine. Not too taxing for a day off, but enough to loosen his muscles and clear his mind. The space is empty, as it has been on his other visits, and he wonders if anyone uses it at all. He's able to move freely between machines, completing his workout fairly quickly.

Stopping for a drink of water, he picks up his phone and pulls up Kakao. Opening his conversation with Hannah, he scrolls up a bit to find the picture she sent before her arrival, the one with the goofy wink and thumbs up pose. He grins back at the still image, just like he does several times every day.

 ** _kjk76:_** _Hey, Hannah, we still on for the gym tomorrow?_

He finishes his water and carefully wipes down the machines he used. Gathering his things, he makes his way to the door of the gym. As he reaches it, a building employee approaches from the other side, twirling a ring of keys around his finger. They nod to each other as Jong Kook exits the gym, and the man does a quick double take, clearly recognizing Jong Kook. He doesn't say anything, though, and Jong Kook is once again impressed with the level of service and discretion in the building. He knows several other celebrities live in the high rise, but it's never noted or acknowledged by employees or other residents. Everyone goes about their business peacefully and quietly, and the staff works hard to maintain a level of normalcy for all who live there. He absently wonders again exactly how much such service and care cost as he unlocks the door to Charity's apartment and heads over to his room to gather shower supplies.

Just as he tosses his phone to the bed, it chimes.

_**HannahBanana799476:** Yes. Sounds good._

_**kjk76:** Great. I've got filming in the morning and it's hard to guess how late it will go into the afternoon, but the evening is definitely free._

He looks at his phone for a couple of moments, but no response comes. He heads across the apartment to the bathroom, towel in one hand, phone in the other. He reaches in to the shower stall to turn on the water to a warmish temperature, eyeing the large soaking tub as he does so. As he strips down and tests the water in the shower with his hand, he decides he'll have a hot soak after rinsing off. Kwang Soo isn't here, he has the night off, why not? He hops in and quickly rinses off under the tepid water, taking special care to wash and condition his hair. As he finishes up, he hears his phone on the counter. He runs a towel over his hair quickly and starts the water running in the tub, snagging some lavender bubble bath from the collection gathered in the corner. While the tub fills, he grabs his phone.

_**HannahBanana799476:** Okay. That will work. Let me know when._

_**kjk76:** A bit after 4, probably. Will you be at home? I'll pick you up._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Not sure. I'll let you know._

Jong Kook slides his lower half into the steaming bath water, inhaling sharply through his teeth as he adjusts to the temperature. His phone still in his hand, he scrolls back up to the top of the brief conversation to see if he said anything offensive. Hannah's responses seem terse, not like the Hannah he knows at all. He chuckles softly to himself as he scans over the messages, reminding himself that he doesn't _actually_ know her. He feels like he does, though, as his few interactions have completely melded with his years-long imaginings of what she's like. It's hard to separate what's real from what he might have made up, though he feels he has an accurate perception of who Hannah is. He leans his head back against the curve of the deep tub while he thinks about how to respond. The hot water works on tired muscles in the steamy bathroom and he drifts just barely into a light sleep, a full week of activity and jumpy Hannah-related excitement finally catching up with him.

* * *

"AAAIIIIYEEEE!!"

Jong Kook awakes with a start and immediately springs to his feet at the sound of shrieking and a slamming door, disoriented and cold and wet. He rubs the water out of his eyes, his mind slowly catching up to what's happening as Charity screams again and slaps her hands over her widened eyes. She turns on her heel and runs directly into the bathroom door she'd just slammed closed, bouncing off and sprawling back onto the floor on her ass.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she chants, scrambling to her hands and knees and scrabbling her hands over the floor with her eyes still closed, crawling into the cabinets with a thud before righting her course and heading for the door. "Oh God oh God sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry SORRY!" She reaches the door, yanks the handle, and tumbles back out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Jong Kook blinks, then blinks again. He shivers, then looks down at himself, stark naked standing in a bathtub of incredibly chilly water, bubbles long gone. Color creeps up his neck and into his face as the reality of the last 15 seconds slams into him. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," he chants, echoing Charity as he hides his face in his hands. He keeps one hand over his eyes as he fumbles for his towel, as if he could block out and erase the incident entirely.

He steps from the tub, drying himself as slowly as possible, hoping Charity will have retreated to her room by the time he comes out. He turns to the counter to grab his clothes and groans, remembering exactly where he left the neat stack. On his bed. He looks down at the dirty pile of sweaty clothes on the floor, then at the door of the bathroom. He sighs and scoops them up after looping his towel tightly around his waist.

He opens the door slowly and peeks his head out. No sign of Charity in the living area. He slides out of the bathroom like an over-cautious Yoo-mes Bond, pressing himself to the wall as he listens for sounds of movement. Finding the coast clear, he begins tiptoeing across the apartment quietly, practically holding his breath as he gets closer and closer to his room.

Just as the torturous end is in sight, the doorbell rings and Charity's bedroom door swings wide on the open second floor. He instinctively freezes, as if she's some kind of velociraptor whose sight is based on movement. She clatters down the stairs behind him and he can hear her head for the door. Knowing her back is turned, he begins creeping toward his room again.

"Hey," she calls. "Nice legs."

He darts the rest of the way into his room and slams the door behind him.


	23. New Plans, Two Plans

Jong Kook paces his room, stopping every now and then to listen to the rustling sounds coming from the main area of the apartment. They've been going on for a while and show no signs of stopping. He's hungry, but unwilling to come face to face with Charity after she came face to face with... him.

After 20 minutes or so, he hears dishes clattering. Remembering how stocked with meals the fridge usually is, he figures Charity isn't leaving the kitchen any time soon. He's hungry, but hesitates with his hand on the doorknob, trying to psyche himself up for the awkwardness.

"KIM JONG KOOK-SSI, JUST COME OUT HERE!," she yells. His cheeks color. He shakes his whole body as if loosening up for a workout, takes a deep breath, and pushes the door open.

Charity's standing behind the kitchen island with bowls, knives, and food spread all around in front of her. 

"Are you hungry?," she asks as he crosses the room slowly, turning her back to slide a dish into the oven.

"I am, actually," he replies somewhat hesitantly, reaching the kitchen and taking a seat on one of the stools on the opposite side of the island. Her back is still toward him, her hands gripping the handle on the oven door.

"What would you like to eat?" She's still not looking at him and her shoulders hunch forward a bit as she hears him take his spot behind her. 

"You don't have to --"

"I just cut up a bunch of vegetables and I'm about to grill a whole ton of chicken, do you want a salad?"

Jong Kook wonders if she's trying to force a return to normalcy and appreciates her effort. He decides to go along. "I -- yes, sure. Thank you. Are you... okay?" 

Charity's shoulders are shaking lightly. 

"I'm fine," she says in a strangled voice. She lifts one of the hands tightly gripping the oven handle to her face. Her head dips lower, dropping down between her shoulders. A weird sound escapes her and she slides to the floor suddenly, landing on her knees. Jong Kook hops up from his seat and rounds the counter in a flash, grabbing her by the shoulder and turning her to face him. He scans her up and down. Did she burn herself? Is she drunk? He sees no apparent signs of injury. Moving his eyes up to her face, he sees she now has both hands pressed over it, her whole body shaking.

"Charity. Charity! What's wrong?" He gets down on one knee beside her huddled form.

She slides her hands down so her deep brown eyes are peering over her fingers at him. They're sparkling brightly. Another strange sound escapes the fingers clasped tightly over her mouth and nose. She huddles down over the knees pulled to her chest as a snort breaks free.

It takes Jong Kook another long moment or two before he realizes she's  _laughing_. She lifts her eyes to his again and drops her hands from her mouth, seemingly under control now, though the corners of her lips are twitching suspiciously. He shakes his head in disgust and leaves her on the floor, rounding the counter back to his seat as color rises in his face. She pulls herself up using the handle of the oven, keeping her back to him and she fights to maintain her composure. Gathering herself, she grabs the plate of raw chicken from where it's sitting on the counter and turns back to the kitchen island where the countertop grill is heated and waiting.

She methodically lays the seasoned chicken on the grill in silence, closing the lid once it's full. Jong Kook watches her carefully, noting how she keeps her eyes averted from his and her lips pressed tightly together. Watching her struggle, the ridiculousness of the situation starts to sink in for Jong Kook, too. Her cheeks are pink with the effort of holding back helpless giggles, and the longer he watches her efforts continue, the funnier the moment becomes. Soon, the corners of his own lips are starting to pull upward, too. A quick reflection on the look on Charity's face when he stood up in the bathtub is followed by the memory of her crashing into the door in her frantic panic to escape the room, and that's it for him. He bursts into deep laughter, throwing his head back and gripping the edge of the counter. Charity places her elbows on the surface and covers her face with her hands as she, too, breaks down again.

The two lean on the counter for support as they wait for the laughter to wind down, catching eyes with each other as it finally trails off. Jong Kook grins at Charity and she offers a tentative smile in response.

"So," she says. "That happened."

"Mmhm," Jong Kook nods in agreement.

"Moving on!," she says, clapping her hands together and moving to tend to the chicken. Seeing that it has a couple minutes yet to go, she turns to the fridge and pulls out container after container of prewashed and chopped vegetables along with two large bowls. Jong Kook watches her efficient movements in silence. As the chicken finishes up and cools on a plate, she assembles two large salads then slices up the grilled chicken to top each. She slides them both across the counter, one in front of Jong Kook and one in front of one of the empty stools. Rounding the island, she takes a seat herself, leaving an empty stool between them.

"Thanks," he says. "You don't have to cook for me."

She shrugs, digging into her own salad. "Zoe's on a special diet so I'm always preparing a lot of food, anyway. I'm used to cooking a whole lot in advance to save time during the week."

"Still, I appreciate it."

She nods, looking down at her food. Stiffness is starting to creep back into the air between them and Jong Kook mentally scrambles for something to talk about.

"Zoe's four, right? What kind of special diet is a four year old on?"

Charity finishes the bite she's chewing and swallows. "She has a form of epilepsy," she explains. "It's fairly well controlled with medication," she assures Jong Kook when it appears he's about to offer condolences. "But we found that a ketogenic diet - minimal carbs, moderate protein, high fat - reduced episodes completely."

"Ah," Jong Kook replies. "Is it difficult?"

"Mmm." Charity tilts her head back and forth, thinking it over. "At first. It's a  _lot_  more cooking and prep than I was used to doing. I'm, ah, pretty big on convenience foods."

"I noticed that," he says, flashing back on the first night he met Charity with a slice of pizza dangling from between her teeth.

She smiles down at her salad. "I got used to it, though. The hard part was telling a toddler she couldn't have sugar or fries or chicken nuggets." Her body shivers as if shaking off an unpleasant memory. "The screaming. My lord, the screaming." She's quiet for a moment. "Worth it, though."

"I imagine."

They eat quietly for a bit, lost in their own thoughts. Both their phones vibrate at the same moment and they look down in sync at the update from a junior Running Man PD about an update to the next day's filming due to the guest's schedule.

Charity stares straight forward as she eats and Jong Kook looks down at his plate. Thinking back on Kwang Soo's scolding from a few days earlier, about how he's lost all focus on everyone around him since his fateful meeting with Ji Min, he mentally resolves to improve and strengthen his relationship with Charity now that their shared awkward moment has put a crack in the ice block wall between them. It's clear that Kwang Soo is deeply attached to the woman, and as he's deeply attached to Kwang Soo himself, it does no one any good to have the two of them at odds.

As he's about to speak to ask her more mundane questions about herself, she says, "Do you happen to know when Kwang Soo will be back?" She doesn't look at him as she speaks, sounding a bit unsure, still staring straight ahead.

"I don't really know," Jong Kook answers honestly. "He said he was going to go home for a couple of days."

"Oh," she says softly.

Jong Kook frowns. "Did you need him for something? I'm sure if you call him --"

"It's no big deal," Charity sighs, pushing the remaining half of her salad around her plate with her fork.

"Is it... anything I can help with?," he offers hesitantly.

She turns her head to smirk at him and he braces himself as she opens her mouth to snap out what will surely be a snarky, sarcastic remark. His eyebrows lift slightly in shock as she closes her mouth again without speaking, going back to staring at the wall.

It's quiet for a few beats, then she says on a heavy sigh, "My mother in law will be here tomorrow morning."

Jong Kook waits, sensing there's more to come.

"I think I'm pretty tough," she eventually continues, and Jong Kook nods silently in agreement. "But something about her... ugh." She shakes her head. "I lose my spine around that woman and she knows it." She turns and glances at Jong Kook briefly, then stands and collects their plates, dropping them in the sink. She sighs again. "I just kind of hoped Kwang Soo would be here. He's always got my back, you know?" She looks at Jong Kook for confirmation and he nods, very familiar with Kwang Soo's warm heart. "I just... hoped he be here." She shrugs.

Jong Kook looks at her, uncharacteristically lacking her usual sharp edges. Remembering his earlier resolution, he offers, "I have a date tomorrow night, but since the shooting schedule was changed, I can be here most of the day... " he trails off uncertainly. 

Charity shakes her head, "No, it's fine, you don't -- could you?" She changes direction suddenly, biting her lip and not making eye contact with Jong Kook.

He's surprised. "Yes, sure, it's not a problem."

"You don't need to do anything," she hurriedly assures him. "Just... having someone here would make a difference. She makes me feel like the whole world's against me." Charity scowls.

"Not a problem at all, happy to do it." Jong Kook is even more surprised to find he's telling the truth - he is happy to help Charity out with this seemingly small task, no ill will surfacing at all. He mentally congratulates himself on making one small step forward with the prickly woman.

"Thanks. Thank you. I appreciate it. A lot. Thank you." She turns to the sink and the mound of dishes in it, turning on the faucet and effectively ending the conversation.

A little startled at her effusive (for her) gratitude, Jong Kook doesn't have a chance to reply before his phone chimes. Hannah. He remembers her brusque answers from pre-nudity disaster and cringes a bit, wondering if she's going to cancel their date. Charity's change in attitude immediately flutters out of his mind as he wanders over to sit on the couch with his phone. The sound of dishes clattering in the background fades away as he thumbs open Hannah's message.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I'm so sorry, I agreed to go to dinner with one of the program directors tomorrow night. I don't think I'll be able to do the gym in the evening._

Jong Kook bites back the sting of disappointment, having been looking forward to his gym date with Hannah since he first accidentally suggested it. He also can't deny being a little annoyed at her breaking their date for other plans.

_**kjk76:**  It's okay. We can go another time. _

He sighs.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I really am sorry. The director asked me this afternoon. With the way Daniel's been undermining me, I felt like I had to take this opportunity to impress him. Forgive me?_

_**kjk76:**  Of course I forgive you. Your schooling is important. I understand._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Oh, relief. You're the best! I need to keep my only Korean friend happy, right?_

Jong Kook blushes faintly, relieved at the return of the perky, cheerful Hannah he sort of knows.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  You said you had filming tomorrow, right? Where? Do you get any breaks? _

_**kjk76:**  Actually, my schedule is suddenly totally open tomorrow._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Really? That's great! You wouldn't want to spend some time with a huge jerk who flakes out on you at the last minute, would you?_

_**kjk76:**  I don't know... my feelings are pretty hurt..._

Jong Kook is grinning down at his phone like a big, goofy fool.

**_HannahBanana799476:_ ** _Please, Mr. Kim Jong Kook? Pleeeeeeease? I'll make it up to you, I promise._

_**kjk76:**  Oh? I'm listening..._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I'll let you beat me in a push up contest!_

Jong Kook chuckles. His phone dings again, displaying a picture of Hannah in a full length mirror. One hand holds the phone in front of her face to snap the selfie while the other arm flexes, displaying a fairly impressive bicep. Jong Kook immediately hops up off the couch and darts into the bathroom, taking an answering flexing selfie of his own and sending it on to her, then returns to the couch.

**_HannahBanana799476:_ ** _Whoa, okay. No dice. Trying again._

_**HannahBanana799476:** I'll cook you lunch at my apartment! I am totally an awesome cook._

_**kjk76:**  Deal. You're forgiven. Do you want to hit the gym tomorrow morning? I want to get you set up at my gym before you get too busy._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Yes! Let's go early early, okay? Then we can go to the store and you can tell me what you like and I'll cook it for you! Hooray! I'm so excited!_

_**kjk76:** Haha, of course you are. When aren't you excited?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  You'd be surprised, Mr. Kim Jong Kook._

His smile wilts slightly, remembering the foreign Hannah he talked to earlier in the day.

**_kjk76:_ ** _I don't believe it._

He shoves the memory out of mind.

_**kjk76:** You're nothing but sunshine and happiness, and I won't be convinced otherwise. _

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Haha, okay. You hold on to that thought and see what you think of me bright and early in the morning._

_**kjk76:** I'll text you when I'm on my way. Bright and early._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Bright and early! See you tomorrow, Mr. Kim Jong Kook!_

**_kjk76:_ ** _Tomorrow, Hannah Banana._

Jong Kook stands and slides his phone into his pocket, smiling widely as he heads into his room, heavily anticipating tomorrow's plans with Hannah.

 


	24. Work it

Around 6 the next morning, Jong Kook slides his phone out of his pocket for the fifteenth time. He's been awake for a couple of hours already. He's already showered and had breakfast and is fully dressed with his gym bag packed. He sits on the couch in Charity's dim living room, wondering yet again if it's too early to message Hannah that he's on his way. They  _did_  say bright and early, he reasons to himself, but he also knows that his version of early doesn't always match up with everyone else's.

At about 5 minutes after six, he decides he can't wait any longer and pulls his phone out yet again to text Hannah. She  _did_  say "early early," so he figures he's safe. In confirmation of his hunch, just as he's about to key in a message, his phone lights up with a message from Hannah herself.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Are you awake? Am I waking you up? WAKE UP, MR. KIM JONG KOOK LET'S GO._

Jong Kook grins.

_**kjk76:**  I've been awake for hours waiting on you to get out of bed! I'll head over now if you're ready to go?_

**_HannahBanana799476:_ ** _I will be by the time you get here! I'm about to make myself a protein shake, shall I make one for you, too?_

* * *

About 25 minutes later, Jong Kook pulls smoothly to a stop at the curb in front of Hannah's apartment building. Just as he's about to exit the car to head up to her apartment to get her, she bounds through the double doors of the building's lobby, a bright pink gym bag slung over one shoulder and a large lidded plastic cup of an evil looking green sludge clutched in each hand. As she approaches the car, she juggles the two drinks carefully, trying to tuck one under her chin as she reaches for the handle of the door. Jong Kook quickly hops out and circles the car in a flash, grabbing the handle and pulling open the door so Hannah can settle herself inside.

"I almost had it!," she exclaims, grinning up at him as she tucks her long legs under the dashboard. "But thank you!"

Jong Kook reflexively grins back as he gently shuts the door, then jogs back around to get into the driver's seat.

"Good morning," he says, taking in Hannah's perky appearance. She's wearing skin tight black workout pants splotched with an abstract pink pattern. They stop just above her knees. Up top, an oversized grey sweatshirt with PENN emblazoned across the chest and a sleek ponytail complete her look. She wears no makeup, but looks bright and fresh regardless.

"Good morning!," she answers as she hands him one of her green sludgey concoctions. "I'm SO EXCITED to get to the gym. Let's go go go!" She slaps the dashboard with her free hand.

"Hang on a second," Jong Kook complains. "Let me try some of this." He gestures with his shake. "You're making lunch, remember? I need to get a preview of what I'm in for." He puts the straw to his lips and she watches him closely as he takes a sip, and then another. She bursts into laughter as his face twists into a grimace.

"What is IN this?," he asks after finally forcing it down. 

"Top secret recipe," Hannah replies. 

Jong Kook eases away from the curb and onto the road. "Is your secret ingredient poison?"

Hannah laughs. "It's not that bad! And it's good for you. Trust me. I'm like three quarters of a doctor." She turns in her seat to angle toward him, lifting his cup up so the straw is at his lips. "Come on! Drink up!" She prods at his lips with the straw until he grudgingly opens his lips to take another sip. She alternates sipping on her own shake and forcing his down his throat the entire way to the gym, poking the straw back into his mouth every time Jong Kook parts his lips to speak. By the time he pulls into the parking lot of his gym, he's drained the cup. Hannah slurps down the rest of hers, as well.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

He shakes his head at her in response, letting himself out of the car and jogging around the hood to open her door as she pulls her bag from the back seat where she'd tossed it. He extands a hand and she eyes it briefly before shrugging and taking it, allowing him to help her step from the car. The back of Jong Kook's neck warms gently at the touch and he quickly withdraws as soon as she's on her feet, coughing and ducking his head to hide the color crawling up his cheeks.

He needn't have worried, as Hannah is standing back looking at the nondescript building, taking in Jong Kook's gym.

"I know it doesn't look like much," he says hastily, ushering her toward the door. "But it's a great gym. It's private and everyone is helpful."

"I think I'll like it," Hannah says as they step into the small lobby that's open to the main workout space. Seeming at home, she steps confidently onto the floor and he follows quickly behind. Following Jong Kook's lead and tossing her bag to one side, Hannah follows him around the smallish but efficient space, smiling brightly as he introduces her to the couple people who also regularly frequent the gym at the early hour. After a quick tour of the equipment, they circle back to their bags.

"So...," Jong Kook says hesitantly. "What's your usual routine?" He busies himself getting his water bottle from his bag as Hannah pulls her baggy sweatshirt over her head and shakes out her ponytail. Under the sweatshirt, she's wearing a black racerback workout tank, plain and formfitting. She sits down on a nearby bench and tightens her shoelaces.

"I assume you're a weights kind of guy, eh?," Hannah says, eyeing up his shoulders and arms as he sheds his own zip up hoodie. 

"Guilty," he replies. "I have a fairly set routine, but --" He stops, running his hand over his back, and sighs. He bends to his bag again, rummaging through before coming up with a roll of athletic tape. 

"Everything okay?," Hannah asks.

"Yes, I just forgot to tape up before I left the house." He gestures to a man across the room, holding the roll of tape in the air.

As the man starts toward the couple to give Jong Kook a hand, Hannah pipes up, "Oh, I'll do it for you." Before Jong Kook can protest, Hannah grabs him firmly by the shoulders and spins him around so his back is toward her. She places a hand between his shoulder blades, pushing firmly until he leans his upper body forward, then slides his shirt up over his lower back. Jong Kook is flooded with relief that his face is tipped down and out of sight as his shyness and a huge grin war it out across his expression. Hannah's hands are soft and warm and a tingle races over his scalp as she presses her fingertips gently into his lower back.

"You had surgery?," she asks as she gently probes the area.

"Uhh... uh yes. Yes, I did. I had a --"

"Ruptured vertebra," she finishes for him. "Mmhm. Painful spot for it. How are you doing now?" As she speaks, she slides her hands around his sides as if evaluating his injury for herself. His abs reflexively tighten as her touch glides over the bare skin.

"I... " He's taken aback at her casual conversation as she places her hands all over his body. His tongue feels swollen in his mouth and he fumbles to respond as she leans over his back, her body brushing against his hip as she applies gentle pressure to several different areas.

"I imagine exercise helps quite a bit," she says. "But don't you work on quite a physical show? Lots of running, jumping, and all of that? I can't imagine you're very comfortable at work. I wouldn't advise running at all, to be honest."

Her face is suddenly in front of his as she bends in half and contorts herself to see him.

"But you know that, right?" She grins up at him. "Tape!" She extends a hand and he stares at her blankly for a long moment before registering her request. He wordlessly places the tape in her hand and she straightens up. Leaning back over his back, she efficiently applies the athletic tape to support his lower spine during his workout, then pats his back lightly to signal he can stand up.

Straightening, Jong Kook twists back and forth at the waist a couple of times as Hannah watches. He nods approvingly at her application and is about to move onto the main floor of the gym when she steps behind him again. Using her hands, she directs him to lean left and right several times. Jong Kook obliges, amused, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth at her display of concern. The expression freezes on his face as she continues to move his body to and fro with one hand and uses the other to slide his shirt up his back again, exposing his skin and the taped area. She places her palm over different muscles as he moves, running her fingers over the tape and all around his waist. With a flat hand, she stops his bending, then makes adjustments to the tension on two pieces of the tape. Finally, she pulls his shirt back down and hops back around to face him.

"You're good to go!" She grins brightly at him and Jong Kook stares in silence for several long moments before the warning bells clanging in his head finally break through his stupor to alert him to the fact that he hasn't managed a single word for an extended, awkward time.

"Th-thanks," he says, grimacing internally at his own stammer. "Feels good." He angles himself away from her so that her bright smile is only in the corner of his vision. "You're right, I mostly stick to weights and some ab work. You?" He surreptiously eyes her toned arms and calves out of the corner of his eye, knowing she, too, must put in some time with weights and already mentally shortening and rearranging his own standard workout to accomodate her company.

"Mm." She nods. "I do like to work in some weights, but only lightly right now. I tend to get real bulky, real fast." She shakes out her arms and legs as she speaks, stretching each arm across her body in turn and pulling each shoe up against her butt. "So I don't do as much lifting in the warmer months, when I'm wearing shorts and short sleeves a lot. I just don't like that look on me, you know?" She tilts her head for confirmation and he yanks his eyes up to hers quickly, nodding. "I mostly do yoga and pilates in the spring and summer for longer, leaner muscles instead of that she-hulk look." She laughs lightly. Jong Kook notices two men across the gym turn their heads at the sound and eye Hannah up and down. He scowls at them and they quickly turn back to their own activities.

"I do lift quite a bit in the winter, though!," Hannah continues. "I can hide the bulk under heavier clothes. And it lets me eat more." Her eyes sparkle at him. "I'm a shameful comfort eater through the cold weather. Anyway!" She claps her hands together. "With the moving and the orientation and everything, I feel like I've been turning into a useless lump. I'm going to hit the treadmill. Have a good workout!"

Jong Kook watches her bound away toward the treadmils in the far corner of the gym. He shakes his head at her enthusiasm for seemingly everything, grinning to himself, totally charmed by her personality all over again. She makes him feel warm and comfortable inside. While he's nervous to be around her, knowing what he knows about their future, the same knowledge combined with Hannah's friendly demeanor is doing a lot to ease his worries.  She's so at ease with him, it's hard to stay tense and on guard around her. Despite his natural tendancy to be shy and formal around females, Hannah draws him out and calms his nerves. He watches her set herself up on the farthest treadmill, picking up a brisk pace right from the start. With one last warning look at his two gym acquaintences across the room, he moves easily into his own familiar routine.

* * *

Absorbed in his own efforts, Jong Kook doesn't realize how much time has passed when Hannah appears on a mat near where he's lifting freeweights in front of a mirror. She bends down and removes a towel from her bag while she waits for him to complete his set.

"How was your run?," he asks as she takes a long drink from her nearly empty bottle.

"Great!," she enthuses. "That felt so good. I need to make time to get out on that path you showed me the other day, but this was great for now. Are you done?"

"I've got about an hour left, I think, but I can cut it short if you're ready to go," he offers.

"Oh, no, that's perfect. I'm going to go hit the pilates machine for a while." She gestures to a contraption on the other side of the weight bench next to Jong Kook.

"Oh, is that what that is?"

Hannah laughs, unselfconsciously slinging a sweaty arm around his own glistening shoulder as she goes so. "You're funny, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. Next time, I'm putting you on it!" She punches him jokingly in the shoulder and makes her way over to the machine a couple feet away. 

Jong Kook laughs under his breath and goes back to his next set, watching as she takes off her shoes and lays herself on the padded bench. Hooking her feet through two small straps, she begins to move smoothly through several stretches, extending and bending her legs in deliberate, slow motions. He only watches the muscles in her legs flex and relax for a moment or two before a prickle of discomfort runs over his scalp, causing him to avert his eyes quickly. His stomach jumps and the uncomfortable feeling persists but evades naming. He directs his focus back to his own workout, attempting to force the unfamiliar tightness in his stomach away.

Another hour passes quickly, and as Jong Kook reracks the last of his weights, he sees Hannah back at her bag, packing away her water and towel.

"Good workout?," she asks as he approaches, smiling. Her face is bright and her cheeks pink, her short ponytail slicked back with sweat. She wipes her forearm across her forehead.

"Pretty good," he nods. "You?"

"Awesome." She grins. "How's your back?" She moves to step behind him again, but Jong Kook dodges subtly, reaching for his own bag.

"Feels good. Strong. Thank you."

She nods. "You need -- well, I'm not going to lecture you." She smiles at him gently. "Not yet, anyway."

"Not yet?," he asks as they head toward the locker rooms to shower.

"Not yet," she agrees. "Why would you take my advice when we've just met and you don't know me from some bum on the street? Wait a bit til I finish this program I'm in, and then you'll  _have_  to listen to what I say."

"Oh, I'll have to?" They stop next to the door of the women's showering area.

"Yep." She nods firmly. "It's the law. You have to listen to doctors or you get arrested."

"Hm, I've never heard of such a law."

"It's American. American doctor law."

"But I'm Korean."

"And I'm American, and every part of me is American, including all the air I breathe, so if you stand in the same air I breathe, you're technically in America, thus totally bound by American doctor law. Sorry to inform you." She puts on a mock sympathetic frown as Jong Kook bursts into laughter.

"I'll keep that in mind for when you're an American doctor," he calls over his shoulder as he heads off to his own shower, chuckling to himself the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this out because the other half of this Jong Kook/Hannah date is nearly fully written, so I shamefully haven't proofread this part. If you get another notice of a new chapter, it's probably edits of this one. OR IT COULD BE A NEW CHAPTER, because the next is almost done.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this little story. I love you, you're the best, and I hope you're enjoying it so far.
> 
> Also, I have to tell you something. It has nothing to do with anything about this story. I AM GOING TO SEE BIG BANG I CAN'T EVEN STAND MY OWN EXCITEMENT.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think of the story so far if you have a moment, and if you don't, that's cool, too. 
> 
> See you again soon!


	25. Run for it.

Exiting the gym, Jong Kook takes Hannah's bag from her hands as they approach the car. He gains a couple of strides on her to pull open her door for her, then tosses both bags into the back seat before rounding the trunk to take his place in the driver's seat. As he fumbles to get the keys in the ignition, he takes a moment to look over at her. She's staring out the window, and her still-damp hair swings around her jawline as she turns to smile at him. She places her hand on his on the gear shift and smiles brightly at him.

"Thanks for taking me to your gym! I really like it a lot and I see why you do, too."

Jong Kook feels the same soft warmth spreading through his body that he's come to associate with being caught in the beaming glow of Hannah's smile. Freshly scrubbed, her cheeks are pink and her bare face is shining, making her look younger than her usual put together demeanor allows for.

"You're very welcome," he replies, shifting the car into reverse and resting his arm across the back of her seat as he looks over his shoulder to pull out of the parking lot. "I thought you'd like it. I'm a little disappointed, though," he says as he pulls out onto the road that runs in front of the gym.

"Oh?"

"You said you didn't need anyone to help you out at the gym because that's what you have me for, but you didn't seem to need any help at all." He puts on a fake, exaggerated pout.

Hannah laughs and rests her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I make you feel neglected, Mr. Kim Jong Kook."

He shrugs and struggles to keep his pout going, focusing on the road.

"Next time. Next time I'll pretend to need you to help me out, okay?"

"Pretend? Hmph." Jong Kook huffs.

"I'm a pretty independent woman, truthfully, but I'm willing to fake it a bit to keep my only Korean friend happy."

"It's the least you could do, really," Jong Kook agrees, though he carefully turns over this bit of "independent woman" information over in his head throughout the rest of the drive to the grocery store they agreed upon.

As they stroll through the aisles of the grocery store, Jong Kook takes the time to point out a few items he thinks Hannah might like or want to try and also gives her tips and tricks on how to locate her favorite foods in their Korean packaging.

"Ah, thank you, you're very handy to have around! My Korean classes start this week on Wednesday and from what I understand, they're going to be pretty intensive so that we can get up to speed in the hospital as quickly as possible."

"You're going to do great, Korean's not actually that hard."

"Mr. Kim Jong Kook, you are lying to me."

"Yes, I am, but that doesn't mean I don't have total faith in your ability to be speaking like a five year old Korean child in no time." He grins at her as they stop in the meat section of the market.

"Haaaa haaa haaa. So." She claps her hands together. "Tell me what you'd like for lunch. Say chicken and mushrooms."

"Chicken and mushrooms?"

"Oh, good, I was hoping you'd say chicken and mushrooms, I'm good at that. I lied. I don't know how to cook."

"I kind of picked up on that from the green monster poison you fed me in the car this morning." He grimaces, remembering.

"It wasn't that bad," she admonishes. "And it was good for you. And so is chicken and mushrooms!" She grabs Jong Kook by the hand and pulls him over to the cold case of meat, then drags him enthusiastically up and down the rest of the aisles to collect ingredients for the one dish she knows how to prepare. He follows her indulgently, listening to her ramble on about how much he's going to enjoy her chicken and mushrooms and how he's going to be begging her to make it for him every week. His mind drifts as they make their way through the store, imagining meeting with Hannah every week, then several times a week, then every day. He feels a warm and comfortable feeling at the idea, content. 

The reality of Hannah seems to match up well to all the daydreaming he's been doing since they first met. She's pretty, that can't be denied. Looking at her is definitely far from unpleasant. They share interests, which Jong Kook appreciates. At least, they share interest in health and fitness, and as far as he's concerned, that's a lot, especially considering that women he's dated in the past have had a problem with his dedication to his physical upkeep. Not only is Hannah enthusiastic about working out, her medical background also seems to give her some good perspective on why he's so insistent on consistent, regular exercise. She obviously takes good care of herself, which Jong Kook also believes is important. She's clearly very smart, and he knows he's no slouch himself. Talking to her in pleasant, not a struggle. She's apparently very driven in her career, as he is with his own. At the moment, it's hard to imagine a more perfect match. On paper, it seems that everything he's learned so far lines up with everything he knows about himself perfectly.

At the checkout, Hannah insists on paying for their food, citing his help with her adjustment to Korea so far. He carries the bags to the car and places them in the backseat with their gym bags before joining Hannah in the front seat of the car. 

"This isn't the kind of car I imagined you'd drive, Mr. Kim Jong Kook."

"Oh?" He glances around the small sedan. "No? What kind of car did you think I'd drive?"

"I don't know, something fast and sporty and extra manly?"

He grins. "Interesting. This isn't my car, though. I borrowed it from my... roommate."

He heads toward Hannah's apartment.

"You have a roommate? A celebrity lives with a roommate?"

"Actually, I still live at home. That's pretty common in Korea, with real estate costing what it does. Most people move out when they get married."

"That's different. In the States, people try to move out as quickly as they can. Ah. I've been living away from home for quite a while, myself. So this is... you parents' car, then?"

"Haha, no. Recently, I've been staying with... a couple of friends. Just to be closer in to the city since my schedule has gotten so busy. My car is at home because my manager usually takes me to my scheduled events, so I don't really need it since all I've been doing lately is work. My roommate doesn't mind sharing the car if one of us needs it."

"Ah," Hannah nods. "I haven't really thought about a car myself. Like you, I'm probably going to be so busy between the hospital and classes that I won't have time to go much of anywhere else, so it seems pretty unnecessary."

"Probably," Jong Kook agrees. "Plus parking in your neighborhood doesn't look too promising. It would likely be more hassle than it would be worth. Plus, the cost. I don't imagine being a student pays so much."

"Mmm," Hannah responds noncommittally, looking out the window as they pass through her new neighborhood. "I'm all right for money."

Jong Kook nods, not pursuing the subject, because how much money Hannah makes doesn't really matter. He's been saving his own salaries for years in order to provide for his future family, and Hannah's work and paycheck would be superfluous or even completely unnecessary. 

He spies a parking spot on the street directly in front of Hannah's building and neatly parallel parks Charity's small Sonata at the curb.

"Nicely done, Mr. Kim Jong Kook!" Hannah gives him a small round of applause. "It's honestly a relief that I don't have a car, because I'm a terrible driver and can't parallel park to save my life. I'm always impressed when I see someone do it." She flashes her megawatt grin at him and holds a hand up for a high five. He grins back and slaps his hand to hers, enjoying the praise, however simple it is.

Hannah grabs her gym bag from the back of the car and Jong Kook grabs the groceries. They trudge up the three flights of stairs toward Hannah's apartment, bodies tired from the long workout. Hannah beeps them into the apartment and holds the door for him to pass through. Kicking off their shoes, Jong Kook places the bags in the small kitchen while Hannah tosses her gym bag into her bedroom, then trots down the short hall. She knocks on a door at the end of the corridor and after a moment, pokes her head in the door, and Jong Kook can hear a murmured conversation. She rejoins him quickly, though, smiling brightly and moving to unload the bags onto the counter.

"Are you hungry?," she asks.

"Yes," Jong Kook replies. "What can I do to help you?"

"Hmm..." Hannah surveys the groceries on the counter. "Can you wash and slice the mushrooms? I think I can manage everything else pretty quickly."

"Sure can," he says, swiping the mushrooms up from the counter and accepting a colander Hannah hands to him. He turns his back to her and turns on the water, setting to work on washing the mushrooms in such a way that they'll be the cleanest mushrooms Hannah's ever seen. She'll be totally impressed. She'll compliment his mushrooms. She'll fall madly in love with him based on his mushroom-cleaning prowess. He's totally absorbed in his task and daydreaming when he feels the front of Hannah's body warming the back of his own and freezes. Something drops around his neck and Hannah laughs. 

"Wouldn't want you to get wet and dirty," she says, tying an apron snugly around his waist. She pats him on the back and says, "Do a little twirl!"

Jong Kook obliges, looking down at the green, polka-dotted, ruffled apron flaring out around his waist as he does so. Hannah doubles over in laughter and he grins at her. 

"Thanks for the consideration," he says, turning back to his mushroom task.

"No problem!," she chirps back, and sets about preparing the chicken.

After a moment of quiet work, Jong Kook asks, "So... will Daniel be joining us?"

"Nope," Hannah replies. "I told him I have a friend over for lunch, just so he wasn't surprised to find someone here, and left." She grins over her shoulder at him. "I feel like you two wouldn't get along too well."

"Probably not," he acknowledges, thinking back to what Hannah said about Daniel undermining her at every turn in front of their supervisors. Fresh protective irritation bubbles through his veins and he takes it out on an innocent mushroom.

"It's my fault. I vented to you when I was frustrated and gave you an unfair impression of Daniel. He's really not that bad."

"If you say so," Jong Kook mutters, staring into the sink.  _"No!,"_  his mind howls.  _"Bad. Very bad. If she's going to be living with him, he needs to remain very bad._ _"_

"I do!" Hannah seasons the chicken and turns on the flame under a pot on the stove. "He's -- oh, speak of the devil!," she says brightly as Daniel emerges from his room and into the kitchen. "On your way out?," she asks the other man. Jong Kook watches their interaction from the corner of his eye, not acknowledging Daniel, nor does Daniel acknowledge him.

"I am," Daniel says. "If you'd told me you were going grocery shopping, I'd have given you a list," he continues in an almost scolding tone.

Jong Kook watches as Hannah's wide smile falters ever so briefly. "Well, enjoy doing your own shopping," she shrugs.

"I will. But seriously, next time tell me when you're doing the shopping." He shrugs a backpack onto his shoulders. "Nice to see you in the kitchen, finally!," he calls back as he heads out.

Hannah's eyes widen and her nostrils flare.

"He's not that bad," Jong Kook mimics back to her. She throws a dishrag over his head. Jong Kook chuckles to himself, not even a little ashamed that he's pleased with the interaction between the two.

"You just keep doing what you're doing, Mr. Mushroom," Hannah huffs.

A short time later, they're sitting next to each other on the couch, plates on the low coffee table in front of them.

"Sorry we don't have a real table," Hannah says. "It's a fully furnished apartment, but some furnishings seem to be missing. I'll get around to getting one eventually... "

"I don't mind at all," Jong Kook says. "I don't need a fancy table to lay judgment on your cooking skills." He picks up his plate and makes a big show of trying the chicken and mushrooms, pretending to deliberate deeply. Hannah watches him carefully, waiting for his proclamation.

"Hm," he says. "I suppose it will do. I mean, what can I expect from someone who refuses to spend any time in the kitchen?"

Hannah slaps his arm lightly, grinning at him as she takes a bite of her own food. "I know for a fact it's delicious, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. I may only know how to cook one thing, but when I do something, I do it perfectly." She pretends to huff at him, angling herself away with her own plate.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he consoles her. "It really is very good."

"Thank you." She turns back and lays that beaming smile on him and they eat quietly together for a few moments.

"So...," Jong Kook breaks the silence. "You said you were born in Korea?"

"Mmhm," Hannah nods enthusiastically, swallowing a bite of food and wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Military family. My father was stationed at Osan when my mother was pregnant, so I was born there. I think they went back to the states when I was just under two? Somewhere around there. What about you? Were  _you_  born in Korea?"

Jong Kook laughs. "I was, how could you tell?"

Hannah shrugs. "I'm very smart," she says loftily.

"I'm getting that." They grin at each other.

"How much school do you have left?," Jong Kook asks her. 

"Quite a bit, I guess," Hannah says. "There's this program, which is nine months, then a fellowship for a year or so, depending on which one I land. After that, I'll take a hospital position and continue orthopedic training. But I got a bit of a head start, and then this program is quite a boost as well, so I'm a fair ways ahead of my peers."

"I'd expect nothing less from someone who doesn't do much, but does it all perfectly." 

Jong Kook's phone buzzes in his pocket. He ignores it.

"You're quite busy as well, right?," she asks him.

"Yes, these days. I do a couple of variety programs, plus a drama, and of course I'm still a singer --"

"You are?," Hannah interrupts. 

"You said you looked me up!," Jong Kook accuses.

"Well, I did!," she defends herself. "But only that one time and only for a minute. I'm busy!"

"You know nothing about me! You're letting a perfect stranger sit in your house and eat your food." He pretends to be shocked.

"I know plenty about you," Hannah counters. "You're on television, you like the gym, you like my chicken, and you're a singer. That's four things. You're hardly a stranger."

Jong Kook shakes his head, looking down at his plate as his lips twitch. "Honestly, Hannah, we're going to need to talk about your safety practices. You can't just be letting strange men wash your mushrooms." His phone buzzes again and he slides it out of his pocket to see a text from Kwang Soo. He slides it back into his pocket, making a mental note to check the message when he gets a moment.

"All right, fine, from now on, Daniel can wash my mushrooms."

"Hey hey hey," Jong Kook says. "Let's not be hasty now. Did I not do an excellent job on those mushrooms?"

"You did. You're great at mushrooms. That's FIVE things I know about you." Hannah turns her head as her own phone chimes on the counter in the kitchen. "Excuse me," she says. "I need to check that. Lots of things going on with everything starting up this week." She sets her plate on the table and skips lightly across the room. "Do you need anything while I'm up?"

"No thanks," he replies, taking his own phone from his pocket.

_**Kwang Soo:**  Hyung, I totally forgot Cherry's mother in law was coming today. She told me you said you'd be there. Thanks, I really appreciate it.  
**Kwang Soo:** I'm on my way back now. How'd it go? Cherry on the warpath?_

Jong Kook feels the color drain from his face.

"Uh, Hannah," he says as his thumbs fly over the keyboard on his phone. "I think I might have to run..."

_**Jong Kook:**  Uh oh..._

Kwang Soo's response is immediate.

_**Kwang Soo:**  HYUNG._   
_**Kwang Soo:**  Tell me you didn't. _   
_**Kwang Soo:** HYUNG!_   
_**Jong Kook:**  I'M GOING RIGHT NOW!_

Jong Kook stands. "I'm sorry, Hannah, I've really got to go. I totally forgot something I promised to do."

Hannah looks up from frowning down at her own phone. "It's okay," she says. "Apparently I have something to do as well."

"I'm really sorry," Jong Kook says, gathering his plate and Hannah's to carry them to the kitchen. "Can I buy you dinner to make it up to you?"

"You don't have to make it up to me, but I'm not going to turn down dinner," Hannah smiles. "I can only eat so much chicken and mushrooms."

"That's too bad," Jong Kook says. "I was going to take you to my favorite chicken and mushroom restaurant."

"Well, it's best that you don't because I don't know if I could accept mushrooms washed by anyone else after your performance today."

The two grin at each other briefly, then Hannah shakes her phone. "It's really okay, though. I have to do something, too. I'll text you sometime to make plans, all right?"

"Sounds good," Jong Kook says. "I've really got to run. Thanks so much for lunch and for coming to the gym with me today."

"No problem," says Hannah as she opens the door to let him out. "I had fun. See you soon!"

"Bye!," Jong Kook calls, not even waiting for the door to close before he's down the hall like a shot.

The whole drive back to Charity's apartment, he reasons with himself. How bad could it be? It's not like she needed him there to  _do_  anything. Just moral support, right? She's a tough lady, she said so herself. It's not a big deal. It's not.

By the time he parks Charity's car in the underground garage, he's convinced himself he wasn't actually needed. By the time he's keying in the code to enter the apartment, he's convinced himself that she was probably better off having the family reunion in private.

He swings open the door to the apartment and freezes as two heads swivel his way. Standing at the end of the hall near the living room, Charity and the woman Jong Kook assumes is her mother in law are facing each other. The guest is a head taller than Charity and severely thin. Her face, turned toward Jong Kook, pinches into a scowl as she takes in his entrance. Charity's hands are in her pockets, her shoulders slumped. She makes brief eye contact with Jong Kook, then drops her head, giving him just enough time to note that her eyes are red-rimmed and puffy.

"Ah...," Jong Kook hesitates. "Hello. I'm Kim Jong Kook." He moves forward, holding out his hand to the older woman, inclining his body respectfully.

She looks at his hand and snorts, leaving him hanging as she turns back to Charity. "Really, Charity?," she says, and Charity seems to shrink even smaller under her glare. "A man letting himself into your home?"

Just then, the door beeps again and a frantic Kwang Soo slides in. "Cherry! Cherry, I just --" He skids to a stop just short of Jong Kook. "Oh. Oh, hello, ma'am." He bows to Charity's mother in law.

The woman is incredulous. "Two men, Charity. Two men, just walking in? Obviously, they're  _quite_ comfortable here." She tucks her purse more firmly under her arm and looks Jong Kook and Kwang Soo up and down with a lip curled in disgust. She shakes her head. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm surprised, considering." She turns the look of disgust on Charity, who doesn't meet her gaze. She shakes her head again. "My son is probably rolling in his grave right now. Thank God he didn't live to see your true colors. You should be  _ashamed_  of yourself." The woman's words are dripping with disdain. She stalks down the hall toward the door. "I'll be back for Zoe in the morning. God knows what I'll say to her after she sees this display. My son is better off, Charity Hayes. You hear me? He is BETTER OFF." With that, she swings the door open and storms out, slamming it behind herself.

The trio left stunned in her wake is silent. Jong Kook and Kwang Soo look at each other, and Kwang Soo scowls. Jong Kook shrugs apologetically. Charity nods to herself slowly once, then again. Almost as if in a daze, she makes her way to the kitchen, and Jong Kook and Kwang Soo trail a short distance behind. They stop in the living room, watching as she deliberately pours herself a glass of water and slowly takes a drink, facing away from them toward the fridge.

Jong Kook moves closer to Kwang Soo in order to explain what happened, but both are startled by a strangled shriek. Their heads whip up just in time to see Charity slam her glass to the counter, screaming from between clenched teeth. She doesn't even seem to notice as it shatters and begins kicking the bottom of the fridge in a fury, slamming her flat palms against the surface of the fridge door as she continues to shriek wordlessly. The two men are frozen as she slaps bloody palm prints all over the appliance.

After a few stunned seconds, both Kwang Soo and Jong Kook leap into action, crossing the space between them in a split second. Jong Kook puts his hands on Charity's shoulders while Kwang Soo whips a clean cloth from the drawer by the sink before turning on the water to dampen it. Charity is seemingly oblivious to their actions, continuing to yell and pound at the refrigerator until Jong Kook finally wraps his arms around her tightly from behind, immobilizing her arms, then lifting her off the ground and swinging her away from the fridge when her feet keep flailing at it. It feels like ages, but the whole thing is over in under a minute, with Charity calming down from hysterics to just heaving breaths as she realizes she can't move.

"Cherry. Cherry," Kwang Soo says gently. "Let me see your hand." He grabs her fisted right hand and carefully peels her fingers open to reveal a gash crossing the palm, fresh blood welling out of it rapidly. He quickly wraps the towel around it, and red blossoms through the several layers almost right away. Kwang Soo nods to Jong Kook, who loosens his grip but still says nothing, totally shocked by what has transpired since his arrival. He carefully guides Charity to one of the bar stools at the counter and stands close as she steadies herself upon it.

"Cherry," Kwang Soo says again. "This is going to need stitches."

She shakes her head, swallows hard, then shakes her head again. She takes a deep breath, obviously composing herself carefully. "No," she says. "I can't. Zoe's asleep upstairs." 

The two men reflexively glance toward Charity's closed bedroom door.

"I'll -- I'll stay with her," Jong Kook says, finally able to work his tongue.

Charity just looks at him.

"It really needs stitches, Charity," he says. "Go with Kwang Soo, he'll drive you. I'll stay here and clean up... this." All three look over at the bloody fridge and scattered broken glass. 

Charity looks down at her hand and then up at the closed bedroom door and sighs. 

"We'll be quick, Cherry," Kwang Soo assures her. "And Zoe will probably stay asleep, right?"

She nods and looks at her hand again and it's clear she's reluctant to leave.

"And Jong Kook will call us if she even makes a peep, right, hyung?"

"Right," Jong Kook agrees quickly, eager to do anything, however small, to make up for what has apparently turned out to be a slightly bigger mistake than he had lead himself to believe.

Charity slides down from the stool and heads into the hall for her shoes, towel-wrapped hand clutched close to her now-bloody shirt. She still hasn't said a word to Jong Kook.

"Kwang Soo," Jong Kook says as Kwang Soo moves for his own shoes. "Here are the keys." He pulls them from his pocket and hands them to Kwang Soo. "I didn't think --"

"Later, hyung," Kwang Soo says, cutting him off sharply.

Jong Kook follows the pair to the door. 

"I'll clean up. And I'll call if Zoe makes even the littlest sound," he says. "And Charity... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

She shrugs, not looking at him as Kwang Soo pulls the door open. "Don't worry about it. You don't owe me anything," she says flatly. "It's not like we're friends or anything."

Jong Kook stands silently as the door swings shut behind the exiting pair.

 


	26. Who wants... bacon!

As soon as the door closes behind Charity and Kwang Soo, Jong Kook jumps into action. He carefully sweeps up all the glass on the floor, disposing of it in the kitchen trash before walking the bag down the hall to the trash chute. He hurries back to the apartment before the door has time to swing all the way shut, slipping his hand in the gap to keep it from latching. While he said he would listen for Zoe, he is really, really hoping she won’t wake up. After taking care of the trash, he gathers cleaning products from beneath the sink in the kitchen and tackles the front of the fridge. The sight of Charity’s red handprints all over the surface make him cringe, instantly bringing to mind her frustrated screams and the look on her face when he walked into the apartment to find her face to face with her mother in law.

He shakes his head and devotes more energy to scrubbing the fridge than is strictly necessary. When he finishes, he moves on to the stove top, then the oven, coming close to breaking a sweat with his forceful cleaning. He dedicates equal energy to the counter tops, focusing all his thoughts on the frustrating crevice where the sink meets the countertop. When he runs out of surfaces to clean, he tosses the rag in the sink, then lifts his hat to run his hand over his hair, looking around for something, anything else to do. Grabbing the broom still leaning against the counter, he moves across the small kitchen space to replace it in the utility closet. Spying a mop and bucket, he drags those out as well to tackle the entire tiled floor of the kitchen and entryway. Every few moments, he stops and tilts his head, listening for any sound coming from the room at the top of the stairs.

When the front door beeps open several hours later, Jong Kook is aggressively fluffing all of the cushions on the couch. He lifts his head as the pair enter the apartment. Charity’s hand is heavily bandaged and Kwang Soo’s hoodie hangs limply around her shoulders. She toes off her shoes and shrugs off the sweatshirt, handing it back to Kwang Soo. Jong Kook watches and tries to make eye contact with Kwang Soo to get an idea of the temperature of Charity’s mood, but his efforts are ignored.

“Zoe didn’t make a sound,” Jong Kook volunteers from the living room.

Her head low, Charity gives him a nod without making eye contact. She mumbles, “Thanks” to Kwang Soo, then trudges up the stairs to her room as Kwang Soo kicks off his own shoes and heads toward Jong Kook, looking around the apartment as he does so.

As Charity’s door clicks closed, Kwang Soo says, “Well, you’ve been busy.” He takes in the details of Jong Kook’s overzealous cleaning, flopping onto the newly-fluffed couch.

“How is she?,” Jong Kook asks, taking up a position on the opposite couch.

“All right. Eight stitches in the end. I think it looked worse than it was.”

“That’s good. But… how is she?”

Kwang Soo shrugs and sighs, stretching out on the couch. “Fine. She seems fine.”

“She didn’t look fine when I came in earlier.”

Kwang Soo sighs again. “From what I gather, her mother in law is hard on her.”

“I saw that.”

“I wish I’d been here.”

“ _I_ was supposed to be here,” Jong Kook objects. “I said I would be.”

The two men are silent for a moment.

“Yes,” Kwang Soo agrees finally. “You were supposed to be here. But what could you have done, really?”

“I could have… I don’t know. I could stopped that woman from speaking to her like that. I mean, if she basically called Charity a whore and suggested her own son was better off dead than with his wife when we were standing right there, what do you think she said when we weren’t around? I could have spoken up for her. I could have told her that Charity is…” He trails off.

Kwang Soo waits a beat, then says, “That Charity is what, hyung?”

Jong Kook doesn’t answer, lost in thought. That Charity is what? That Charity is what? He wracks his brain, trying to come up with the words for the nebulous, undefinable thoughts swirling through his mind. She’s what? What would he have said? The harder he thinks about it, the more the words slip from his mental grasp, eluding exact definition. There’s something he wants to say, but he can’t pull the something from his mind to his mouth. He finally shakes his head, realizing that Charity’s parting shot was correct. It’s not like they’re friends. He doesn’t know anything about her. He doesn’t know how he would have fashioned himself into an effective human shield between Charity and her mother in law. He feels like he would have, though. While the exact words and methods escape him at the moment, he strongly believes that if he’d just kept his word, he could have helped.

He clenches his teeth and his jaw works in frustration at his own actions. If he’d just told Charity about Hannah, she would have understood. If he’d let her know he wasn’t going to make it, she wouldn’t have been blindsided. Flashes of the previous few days flit through his mind. Kwang Soo lecturing him about thinking of nothing but Hannah. Charity hesitantly asking him to help her not feel alone. Hannah’s brilliant smile and warm, welcoming manner that made him totally ignore all other obligations. Thinking back on it now, though, it’s suddenly much clearer where Kwang Soo was coming from and much harder to remember what was so special about his time with Hannah that he couldn’t remember he’d made a promise to a friend. Well, to a friend of a friend. The harder he thinks, the more everything hazes over with static, finally leaving him to give up with a frustrated grunt.

“Hyung?,” Kwang Soo questions at the sudden sound.

“Nothing.” Jong Kook shakes his head to clear it and leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “Is she angry with me? Did she say? I should probably leave in the morning,” he says ruefully, mostly sorry for hurting Charity but also a little bit sorry to lose the quiet and privacy of the spacious luxury apartment as compared to his own home.

“No.” Kwang Soo shakes his head. “I mean, she didn’t say. We mostly talked about Zoe, actually. She didn’t mention you and I didn’t bring it up.” Kwang Soo stands suddenly, unfolding his long form from its boneless puddle on the couch. “I’m going to bed. I have an early call tomorrow before our filming.”

“Ah,” Jong Kook stands as well. “Do you need a ride to the shoot or anything?”

“No, my manager is coming for me.” He stretches then crosses to his room.

“Kwang Soo,” Jong Kook calls just as the door is about to shut. Kwang Soo sticks his head back out, raising his eyebrows questioningly. “What should I do?”

“I don’t know, hyung. I honestly don’t know.”

Jong Kook nods. He hadn’t expected an answer, really. Kwang Soo gives a small wave.

“See you at filming.” He pulls his head back into the room and closes the door softly.

Jong Kook lets out a long breath and sinks back down onto the couch. He’s tired, but not ready to sleep. For a moment, he stares up at the room at the top of the steps, trying to focus on the woman behind the silent door and why he keeps messing up with her over and over and over. Once again, the more he thinks about it, the more the thoughts evade him, frustrating him. He can’t even begin to formulate a plan of action with Charity. He doesn’t know what to do or where to go or why he even feels it’s so urgent to do so, aside from the fact that he messed up their supposed fresh start.

Idly, he slides his phone from his pocket and is surprised to see a notification of a message from Hannah on the screen. He thumbs it open, noting it had arrived about an hour before, probably when he was deep into aerobic mopping.

_**HannahBanana799476:** Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Thanks for taking me to your gym today, I had a great time! :) :) :)_

He smiles despite his conflicted mood.

_**kjk76:** You’re very welcome. Any time! Thanks for making lunch and sorry I had to run so quickly. I forgot something I had to do._

_**HannahBanana799476:** It’s all right. Like I said, something came up for me, too. It’s totally fine!_

_**kjk76:** Is everything okay?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Yep, totally fine. Just a little miscommunication. Or lack of communication, really._

_**kjk76:** Was it Daniel? Did he try to make you go to the store for him or some crap? Because I will talk to him._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Nope. Not Daniel. And just so you know, I can handle him on my own._

_**kjk76:** I’m sure you can, but why should you have to?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Haha! Because I’m an adult who takes care of herself!_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Did the thing you forgot work out okay?_

_**kjk76:** Not really, I was too late._

_**HannahBanana799476:** :( :(_

_**kjk76:** Don’t worry about it. I’m going to try to work it out somehow. When do you want to go to the gym again?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Tomorrow is my last free day before work and classes start. Are you free?_

_**kjk76:** I’m not, actually. The filming I had scheduled today was moved to tomorrow and I imagine it’ll be a long one._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Boo! Where are you filming? Can I watch? I’m going to try to explore around on my own tomorrow and get a feel for the area._

_**kjk76:** Not sure. The locations vary. I can text you updates tomorrow, though, and let you know if I end up in your area._

_**HannahBanana799476:** Cool! It would be fun to see you work. I’ll watch for your text tomorrow. I’m going to head to bed._

_**kjk76:** Have a good night._

_**HannahBanana799476:** XOXO!_

 

 

* * *

 Jong Kook’s phone blares an alarm at 6am, a little later than a normal shooting day, but he anticipates a late night and appreciates the extra sleep. He rubs his hand over his face, not really feeling the effects of the late awakening after staying up too late the night before turning his various situations over in his mind and reaching no real conclusions.

He knows he should leave Charity’s house. That’s a given. No matter his intentions, he can’t seem to do right by her and while her salty personality has been the cause of some of their worst interactions, he can’t deny that the bulk of the fault lies with him. However, whenever he tried to think of a way to get back on her good side, he came up entirely blank. He has a strange mental block when it comes to Charity. If he thinks about the situation too long, he loses the thread.

And then there’s Hannah. When he really thinks about it, which he did the night before, the situation is moving much more slowly than he thought it would. Once he met Hannah in the airport, his mind immediately jumped years into the future when they would be married, maybe with several children. It’s hard to reconcile his obsession with the end goal with his current situation. Hannah seems to like him, but then, she seems to like everyone. He likes her. She’s pretty and she’s smart. It’s just that when he tries to imagine going from hanging out with pretty, smart Hannah to being married to her, he can’t visualize the steps it will take to get there. How long will they date? Was their trip to the gym a date? When should he ask her out again? Is this a quick process, or will this stretch out for years? The space between now and the end is a huge blank.

He sighs as he sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed, then heads out to the main rooms.

In the kitchen, Charity is standing behind the counter facing a small form seated on the stool across from her. She looks up as his door opens and gives him a nod.

“Making breakfast, hungry?”

“Uh…,” Jong Kook replies dumbly as he approaches the kitchen.

Charity is dressed as usual in ripped skinny jeans and a long t-shirt that keeps sliding off her shoulder. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun and she wears no makeup. Jong Kook fights back a feeling of deja vu at her appearance and nonchalant attitude. The only thing that stands out as different is the stark white bandage wrapped around one hand.

The small form, who he assumes must be Zoe, turns as he nears. He immediately grins at her, unable to help himself. She seems small, even for her young age, and has almost white-blonde hair that falls stick straight to just below her shoulders. She’s wearing a purple nightgown with some princess on it, and the tiniest pink glasses Jong Kook has ever seen.

“Who are you?,” she asks bluntly in English.

“This is Kim Jong Kook-ssi,” Charity answers her in Korean. “Say hello.”

Zoe looks between the two adults blankly.

“Zoe,” Charity tries again. “This is Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

Zoe blinks.

“It’s okay,” Jong Kook says. He switches to English himself. “Zoe, my name is Kim Jong Kook.”

“Hello,” Zoe says matter of factly, turning back to the counter.

“Zoe. Has your grandmother been taking you to your Korean teacher?,” Charity asks.

“Nope,” Zoe says, alternating swinging her legs on the high stool with swiveling back and forth on the seat.

“She -- what -- why?” Charity splutters.

“Mimi says I don’t need to learn Korean because I’m not going to live in Korea so I don’t have to go.”

“Well, your grandmother is wrong. At the end of the summer, you will be living right here with me.”

“Mimi says I won’t.”

Jong Kook watches the exchange, noting how Charity is chewing on the inside of her lower lip as she interacts with her daughter. She drops her head for a moment to school her expression, then lifts it again, smiling at Zoe.

“We’ll talk about it later. How about now I make some bacon and eggs for you and Mr. Kim Jong Kook, hm?”

“You don’t have to -- “ Jong Kook is abruptly cut off by Zoe.

“I’ll have pancakes, please.”

Charity addresses Jong Kook first. “I’m making bacon and eggs, so eat some. Also, your manager called and asked me to drive you in today. We’re going to leave about 7:30.” She turns to Zoe. “Zo-bo, you know you can’t have pancakes. It’s no good for your seizures.”

“Mimi makes me pancakes every day.”

Charity’s eyes narrow. “She what?”

“Mimi makes me pancakes every day. Mimi says that you only put me on that diet because you’re a control freak and I can eat whatever I want.” Jong Kook’s eyes widen as Zoe obviously parrots back the words of an adult.

Charity’s uninjured fist clenches and slam down on the counter . Zoe watches with interest as her mother tips her head back to stare up at the ceiling for one, two, three long moments.

“Zoe Miranda.” Zoe’s eyes widen at the tone Charity employs.

“Bacon and eggs!,” she says hurriedly. “Bacon and eggs!”

Charity nods. “That’s what I thought!” She turns cheerful. “Bacon and eggs for everyone!” Looking at Jong Kook, she says, “It’s only going to take a couple of minutes, but if you want to hop in the shower, I’ll make yours last so they’re still warm.”

Jong Kook nods wordlessly and walks back to his room, gathering what he needs for a shower and to dress for the day. In the bathroom, he stares at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out what’s happening. While not overly warm, Charity seems downright pleasant. He’d expected an icy attitude and obvious animosity. He realizes he doesn’t know Charity well enough to know what to have expected, really, and decides to just roll with it and let her take the lead.

After a quick shower, he heads back to the kitchen to find Charity sliding some eggs and bacon onto two plates. Zoe is happily eating her own pile of bacon, more than Jong Kook would believe such a tiny body could hold. Charity pushes a plate across the counter in front of the stool next to Zoe’s and nods at him, holding her own plate in her hands as she leans her hips back against the counter to eat.

“Thank you,” he says, sitting down to breakfast. He hesitates for a minute, wondering what step to take next. Charity isn’t saying anything, just working through her own meal. Should he apologize again? Ask if she wants him to leave? Offer to make it up to her somehow?

“Hey,” she calls across the kitchen softly. “Let it go.”

He raises his brows in surprise, opening his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

Charity shakes her head, looking down at her plate and not attempting to make eye contact. “People make mistakes. It’s fine. I can hear you thinking from here. You’re going to give yourself indigestion.”

“I…“ Jong Kook remembers his earlier decision to follow her lead. “All right.”

Just then, the doorbell chimes.

“I’ll get it,” he says, hopping down from his stool and hurrying over before she can say a word. He pulls open the door to be greeted with the same purse-lipped woman from the night before, who sweeps past him without a word. Her look of undisguised distaste speaks volumes, though.

“Mimi!,” Zoe calls gleefully from the kitchen.

He follows directly behind her as she makes her way to the kitchen, through Charity’s apartment as if she owns it herself. Just as she reaches the area where her daughter in law and granddaughter are finishing breakfast, Jong Kook inserts his body between her and Charity.

“Hello,” he says in English, ignoring her shocked look at being blocked. “I’m Kim Jong Kook. We weren’t properly introduced last night.” He sticks out a hand. She tries to sidestep him without a word, and he matches her, blocking her path again, his hand still extended in front of him.

She sighs and tucks her purse under his arm, extending her own hand to shake his briefly, limply. “Miranda,” she says in clipped tones. “Excuse me.” She steps around him and up to the counter.

“Goooood morning, Zoe!,” she sing songs. “Are we going to have so much fun today?”

“We are!,” Zoe agrees. “But first I need to eat this.” She gestures to her bacon mountain.

“Oh, Zoe, I don’t know if anyone should be eating that much bacon. It certainly doesn’t seem like a good idea to give a child so much bacon, does it?,” she asks with words clearly not meant for Zoe herself.

The child shrugs and continues demolishing Mt Saint Pork.

“Miranda,” Charity says. “Can we talk for a moment?”

“I’d rather just get Zoe dressed and get started on her day,” Miranda answers, not looking at Charity.

“Well, tough shit,” Charity says quietly through gritted teeth. “Please come into the living room with me.” She doesn’t wait for a response and stalks over to a place near the balcony doors. Jong Kook watches Miranda sigh heavily and roll her eyes before following.

“So, Zoe,” Jong Kook says awkwardly as he takes his seat again. He half wants to eavesdrop and half wants to prevent Zoe from doing so. “You… like bacon?,” he asks lamely.

“Mmhm,” Zoe nods, mouth full.

“Me, too,” he replies, taking a bite of his own.

“Are you my mom’s friend?,” she asks, taking a bacon break and spinning on her stool to face him. Her knobby knees jab him in the thigh as she twists back and forth. She peers up at him, large eyes looking comical through the thick lenses of her little glasses.

“I’m… yes. I’m your mother’s friend from work.”

“Do you live with my mom?”

“No, I live with my parents, but your mom lets me stay here sometimes.”

The hushed voices coming from the living room sound strained and Jong Kook stretches for more conversation with Zoe.

“So. Are you excited to be in Korea?”

“Yes!,” says Zoe. “My mom said we can go to an amusement park and get ice cream and go swimming and see movies!”

“That sounds like a lot of fun you’re going to have with your mother.”

“Yep.” Zoe nods, turning back to her bacon. Jong Kook knows when he’s been shut down by a lady and makes quick work of his own breakfast as Charity and Miranda approach the kitchen again.

“Zoe!,” Miranda chirps. “I read about a great amusement park we can go to today, how does that sound?”

“Yaaaaay!” Zoe waves bony arms in the air, each fist tightly clutching a piece of bacon.

“Miranda --” Charity starts.

Miranda speaks over her. “I know your mother wanted to take you to the amusement park, but she’s just _too busy_ today, so I’m going to take you, all right? We’re going to have a great day!”

Jong Kook doesn’t miss the way Charity’s face falls as Zoe celebrates her grandmother’s plans.

“Are you done, Zoe?,” she asks quietly. “Let’s go upstairs and get you dressed and your bag packed.” She takes her daughter by the greasy hand and leads her toward the stairs. “I’ll be right back. Miranda, you can go wait at your car if you’d like.”

“I’m fine here,” Miranda responds imperiously, running her finger over the counter top Jong Kook ferociously cleaned the night before. He hides a smirk as she finds nothing to complain about.

“Suit yourself,” Charity says, giving Jong Kook an apologetic shrug as she follows Zoe to her room.

As soon as the door closes behind the pair, Miranda turns on Jong Kook.

“So just who are you? How long have you been living with Charity? Where did you meet her? Who is the other man? Does he live here, too? I can’t help but notice how comfortable you are in this apartment my son paid for.” The questions come rapid fire, barely giving Jong Kook a moment to process each one before the next emerges.

Jong Kook takes his time replying, finishing off his last bit of eggs and wiping his mouth and hands first.

“I’m Kim Jong Kook, as I said. I think Charity can fill you in on anything else she wants you to know.”

Miranda’s eyes narrow. “I know exactly what this is.”

“Do you?”

“I do. I know Charity Hayes and I’ve known her for a long time. None of this surprises me. Not one bit.”

“I don’t think you know nearly as much as you think you know,” Jong Kook bluffs, because frankly, he doesn’t know much either. However, he’s only met this woman for a total of about three minutes and already knows he’ll fling himself up as a metaphorical wall between her and Charity if only to piss Miranda off. What a miserable witch.

Miranda snorts. “You obviously haven’t known her long, then. And you’re already living here. You just wait and see, Kim whatever.”

“I see plenty,” he says, deliberately eyeing the bitter woman up and down and wrinkling his nose. Immature, he knows, but it’s instantly clear to him why Charity doesn’t like to face this woman alone and he vows that from then on, she won’t have to.

 

 


	27. On The Way

The icy standoff between Jong Kook and Miranda only lasts a couple of moments longer before Zoe and Charity come trooping down the stairs. Zoe’s been changed into simple shorts and a t-shirt with a cartoon cat emblazoned across the front, her long hair slicked back in a neat ponytail. The pair haven’t even made it all the way down the stairs before Miranda is fluttering toward them, clucking over Zoe’s hair.

“Oh, Zoe, we don’t want your hair like this, do we? It looks so much better down.”

“I like the way Mama did it, Mimi.” Zoe swats the older woman’s hands away from her hair as she reaches the bottom of the steps. Jong Kook doesn’t miss the smirk that passes over Charity’s face, though she attempts to hide it as she bends down to pick up a small backpack in the shape of a cat’s face and slides Zoe’s arms through each of the straps.

“Ok.” Charity stands behind Zoe and rests her hands on her shoulders. “Her backpack has sunglasses and a hat if the sun gets really strong, but I did already slather her up in sunscreen. The sunscreen is in there as well. Please make sure she drinks plenty of wa--”

“I believe I know how to care for my grandchild, Charity,” Miranda huffs.

“--ter,” Charity finishes without flinching. “No pizza. No french fries. No carbs, Miranda, I mean it.” Her tone seems neutral on the surface but steel runs beneath. “I’ve put some snacks in her bag, so she’ll have plenty to eat. Maybe burgers for lunch?” Charity bends, flipping her face upside down in front of Zoe’s. “A cheeseburger with a million pickles?”

Zoe giggles up at her mother. Miranda shifts her weight impatiently.

“All right, Zo-bo. You have a good day. Listen to your grandmother. Don’t wander off. Don’t talk to strangers. And don’t let anyone with bad eyebrows --”

“-- tell you shit about life!,” Zoe finishes enthusiastically.

“Really, Charity? Really?” Miranda is unimpressed.

Charity ignores her and drops to the ground in front of Zoe to give her a tight hug. “That’s my girl. Buckle up tight. You can call me any time. Tonight we’ll cook dinner together and watch movies in our pajamas, okay? Be good. I’ll see you soon.” With one last squeeze, she stands up and has barely taken half a step back from Zoe before Miranda snatches up the girl’s hand.

“Let’s go, Zoe Miranda! We’re going to have a great day, right?” She leads her to the front door without so much as a backward glance at Charity.

“Right, Mimi!” Zoe starts chattering animatedly, her voice fading quickly as the door opens and closes again. Charity stares at the door for a long moment before shaking herself and returning to the kitchen, busying herself with putting the breakfast dishes in the sink.

Jong Kook watches her, noting her blank expression. He scrambles for something to say, silence stretching across the space.

Finally, after giving the dishes a quick rinse, Charity speaks, her back to him. “She’s really something, huh? Sorry you had to deal with her.”

“Oh no, no… I don’t mind,” he responds. “She’s… you’re right. She’s really something. Zoe’s really beautiful, though.”

“Isn’t she?,” Charity agrees shamelessly, grinning as she turns, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “She’s the best.” Charity looks at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Can you be ready to leave in about five or ten minutes? I’ve got to do a coffee run before we hit the set.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely. Just need to grab my bag.”

“All right. Just have to run upstairs and get my own stuff. Meet you back here in a few.” She hangs the dishtowel over the oven door handle and jogs up the steps to her room.

Jong Kook watches her go. She seems largely unbothered by her encounter with her mother in law this morning, when yesterday it was clear she’d been torn up one side and down the other by the woman. He’s abashed anew when he realizes that the difference between the two occasions was that one time he was there and one time he wasn’t. It was right what Charity had said the other day - she’s a strong woman, but needed to feel like she had someone in her corner when up against Miranda.

Shaking himself loose from his thoughts, he crosses the apartment to his own room. He pulls the bag he usually takes to work from beneath the bed, then looks around the room. His own belongings are scattered over the dresser and nightstand, the room looking more like his every day. He briefly considers packing up quickly, his mind revisting the awkward moments of the day before. Charity didn’t seem like she wanted him to get out, though. In fact, she almost seemed even more friendly than usual. He decides to see how the ride out to the shoot goes and decide from there whether or not he’s still welcome in Charity’s apartment after his failure to be there for her the day before.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he walks back out to the main room of the apartment just as Charity is pulling her own bedroom door shut and bouncing down the stairs. She tucks a wallet into a plain black backpack before putting her arms through the straps. She pats down the pockets of her jeans with both hands before spotting her keys on the kitchen counter where Jong Kook had left them and scooping them up. She looks up as he approaches.

“Ready?,” she asks.

“I am.”

“All right, let’s get out of here.”

He nods and heads for the front door with her trailing behind. Pulling it open, he stands aside to let her exit first and she nods to him in acknowledgment. She punches the down button on the elevator as he makes sure the door closes behind them firmly and the head down to the underground parking garage. As the doors slide open, she looks around for her car.

“Parked it over there.” Jong Kook gestures with his head.

“Ah, okay.” She heads in the direction indicated. “Hey, you mind driving?”

“Uh…” Jong Kook is surprised. “No, not at all. Keys?”

She tosses them to him and he catches them neatly. He beeps the doors open as they approach and Charity walks around to the passenger side.

As they get in, he asks, “Are you okay?”

“Me? Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. I just prefer not to drive. Is that okay?”

Jong Kook laughs as he starts up the compact car. “Yes, that’s totally fine. I don’t mind driving at all. I actually don’t get to too often.”

“Mm.” Charity nods and slides a phone out of her pocket before putting on her seatbelt. “So I’ve got to make a coffee run, like I said. I’m going to text everyone and see if they want anything. What about you?”

“I’m fine.” Jong Kook eases the car up the ramp and out of the garage. “Who is everyone?”

Charity shoots a puzzled look at him. “You know. Everyone.”

Once again, Jong Kook is left wondering how Charity is on texting-and-coffee basis with “everyone” when he didn’t even know of her existence a few days earlier.

“Oh, let me put the address of the shoot today into the GPS. It’s a little tricky.” She leans forward and punches it in as her phone starts erupting with notifications. The GPS indicates 20 minutes of travel time to the shoot. “There’s a coffee shop right along the road where we’re going, so that’ll be easy enough.”

Jong Kook nods, casting a glance over to the passenger seat as Charity settles back down and starts scrolling through the messages received.

There’s silence for several minutes as Jong Kook works his way through the morning traffic. He can’t stop himself from looking at Charity out of the corner of his eye every few moments and finally speaks.

“So…”

“Hm?” Charity lifts her head and looks toward him when he says nothing further.

“Uh… you… ah….” he stammers. “I don’t feel like I know much about you.”

“You don’t,” Charity agrees neutrally.

“But I’m practically living in your house.”

“You are,” Charity agrees, again with a neutral tone.

“And you’re… okay with that?”

“I don’t mind having guests, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yes. Well. No. You’re okay with me staying there?” He chews the inside of his lip and looks straight out the windshield.

“Sure.” Her tone indicates disbelief that he’d think anything different.

“But I…”

“I know.”

“I forgot that I --”

“I know.”

“And then yesterday --”

Her hand lands on top of his on the gearshift. “Kim Jong Kook-ssi. I know.”

Her hand is warm on his arm. He stares at it as he pulls up to a red light. She follows his eyes and pulls her hand back and the area of former contact instantly chills.

“Like I told you this morning,” she says, “everyone makes mistakes. Let it go. I have. I do like my own space, but I’m used to having people around in the house. It’s fine that you stay at the apartment.”

She pauses.

“Well, until the next time you fuck up, anyway.” She grins at him and he freezes, unaccustomed to the way the expression brightens her whole face.

“Right,” he says. “Got it.” The light turns green and he pulls forward, following the directions from the GPS. “But still, I’d like to get to know you better if I’m staying in your house.”

“Understandable,” she agrees. “I could be a psycho killer. You should be aware of that sort of thing.”

“Are you a psycho killer?,” he asks.

“Well, not professionally.”

“Ah,” he nods. “More of a hobby, then. Cool. Any other hobbies?”

She thinks. “I like to read.”

“Ah, me, too, when I get the time. What brought you to Korea?,” he continues. “How did you hook up with Ji Hyo?”

“Oh, that was kind of strange. My husband already had a contract job lined up here, so we were all going to move out here for a year for his contract. I was just going to come along, really.”

Jong Kook notices her voice doesn’t even hitch at the mention of her husband, so he schools his expression as well.

“But I was working as a makeup artist for Benefit Cosmetics, just occasionally as needed, and you know, Ji Hyo does a lot of work with them.”

Jong Kook nods, though he didn’t really have any idea of the extensive number of endorsements Ji Hyo had been pulling in over recent years.

“So,” Charity continues, “she was out at the main offices doing some promotional photographs with the American models, and I was doing makeup for the shoot. We got to talking over the couple of days she was there while I did her makeup, and I told her about how we’d be heading to Korea early the next year and what I planned to do with my time, and I guess one thing lead to another. It’s worked out pretty well, I think… an assistant and makeup artist and English tutor all rolled into one has come in pretty handy for Ji Hyo, and she doesn’t need me all the time, so I get a lot of off time to work on my own stuff.”

“Right, right… that accounting software, right?”

“Oh, you remember! See, you do know some things about me.” She smiles at him.

Jong Kook smiles back, though at the same time wonders when information about Charity started sticking in his head.“I guess I do,” he concedes. “How did your meeting go the other day, by the way?”

“They took a pass.” She shrugs.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. It wasn’t a good fit, really. Plus they wanted someone from my company - I have two partners still in the states - on site for the first six months of implementation, and I just didn’t want to do it. Zoe will be here after the summer and I don’t want to be spending 12 hour days in an office.”

“I can understand that,” Jong Kook says. “I’m sure something else will come along. And there’s always Ji Hyo.”

Charity laughs lightly. “Yes, there’s always Ji Hyo.” She lapses into silence and looks out the window. “Oh, we’re coming up on the coffee shop. Pull up to the curb right here.” She points and Jong Kook noses the car into the indicated spot.

“I’ll be right back,” she says, unbuckling.

“Do you need any help?”

“No, no, please stay in the car. I’m not in the mood to elbow fan girls.” She hops out and checks the door closed with her hip.

Jong Kook chuckles, seeing her point, and settles in to wait for her return.

 

 


	28. Acting?

Jong Kook is absently drumming his fingers on the steering wheel when Charity shoulders open the door of the coffee shop a full ten minutes later. Drink carriers hang from two fingers on each hand with another clutched to her chest. His eyes widen and he quickly leans across the passenger seat to push her door open for her.

“Ah, thank you,” she says and leans into the car with arms extended.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said _everyone_ , huh?,” he replies, disengaging the carriers from her fingers one at a time. Charity swings her backpack off of her back and settles into the seat and together they work on nestling the carriers around her feet on the floor of the car, packed together so that they won’t move during the rest of the drive.

Charity grins. “You don’t drink coffee, so I guess you don’t know this, but the pre-shoot coffee run is no joke, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

“Are you always the one who does it?”

“Mmhm.” She nods, unzipping her backpack. “Most everyone else comes with their managers, and their schedules are tight. I’m not with Ji Hyo _all_ the time and I’m usually free. Well, more free than everyone else, anyway.” She pulls a bottled health and energy drink from her bag. “Here you go,” she says, handing it to Jong Kook. “I figured your breakfast probably isn’t sitting so well, having to eat with the she-bitch from hell in your face.”

Jong Kook takes the drink, surprised. “Why… why are you acting so nice?,” he blurts suddenly, then immediately regrets it.

Charity just grins at him. “Acting? Kim Jong Kook-ssi, I _am_ nice.” She slaps the dashboard. “Let’s go! Got people waiting for coffee!”

He shakes his head, unsure what to make of Charity’s sudden turn around, but accepts the drink nonetheless. “Thank you,” he says sincerely, and she nods. He sets the drink in the cupholder and starts the car, pulling into traffic when he sees an opening. The GPS lets him know that traffic will add another few minutes onto the journey, and he settles in for the wait.

“Is it because Zoe’s here?,” he asks suddenly.

“What?” Charity looks up from scrolling through her phone.

“Your good mood. Is it because Zoe’s here?”

“Oh.” She thinks a moment. “I’m happy she’s here, yes.”

“It wasn’t your choice that she stay in the US, was it?”

Charity sighs. “No. Not at all. The three of us were supposed to be here together.” She shrugs. “Things change.”

Jong Kook watches her from the corner of his eye. She’s looking out the window at the stopped traffic, but doesn’t seem perturbed by his questions at all.

“How long is she going to be here?”

“Just a week.”

“And your mother in law will be here the whole time as well?”

“Yes,” Charity hisses, now a little visibly annoyed. “That was also not part of the plan. I was going to fly to the US and pick her up, then fly back with her as well.”

Jong Kook’s eyebrows shoot up at the idea of four round trip international tickets and he wonders again how much Ji Hyo pays.

“But a couple different schedules changed, including that meeting, which I couldn’t miss because like you probably overheard the other day, I’m trying to get established in order to stay here permanently. Too many moving pieces, and we agreed that Miranda would fly her out and fly back two days later, and I’d bring Zoe back to the US. When you came in yesterday, we’d just finished discussing the fact that she decided she needed to stay for our whole visit.”

“What?” Jong Kook sputters, incensed on Charity’s behalf. “But this is your time with Zoe.”

“Right?!” Charity agrees so forcefully the drink carriers rock dangerously. “But she heard that I had to work a bit and that I’d arranged for care for Zoe and decided that was _unacceptable_.” Charity puts on a snooty tone, nearly perfectly imitating her nose-in-the-air mother in law. “Since by the court order, this is _technically_ her time, until the end of the summer, there’s nothing I can do about it.” Her fists clench reflexively.

“Pardon me, but what a bitch.”

Charity snorts. “No pardon necessary, you’re right on. She’s a bitch.”

“Why? Why does she dislike you so much?”

Charity pulls a face. “The usual, really. I stole her son or whatever.” She flaps her hands dismissively. “Her other kids are all kind of losers, and Dare -- Darren -- was supposed to be the one to take care of them all. But he met me, and we got together, and I got pregnant, and she wasn’t the main lady in his life. Honestly, once our little girl was born, neither was I.” She laughs under her breath. “But you don’t see me throwing a fit about it. Much.” She chews her lower lip thoughtfully. “Really, though, she’s just a fucking pill who lives to be miserable and inflict it on everyone else. Except her grandchildren. She does love her grandchildren, and that’s the one point I can give her. Otherwise, total bitch on wheels. Oh, we’re here!”

She’s already opening the door as Jong Kook parks the car. She hops out and swings her backpack onto her shoulders, then leans back in to collect all the coffees in their cardboard carriers. She tries to shoo Jong Kook’s hands away when he grabs a couple himself, but he isn’t having it. He takes three of the five and trials behind Charity as she makes her way through the gathering crowd of cast and crew, handing them out without even so much as a glance at her list of who ordered what. As they reach the main cast, she’s down to two drinks, one of which she hands to Ji Hyo. She takes a moment to briefly greet everyone else before pulling Ji Hyo aside.

Jae Suk starts with over-exaggerated shock when he notices Jong Kook.

“Kim Jong Kook! Did you come here with Cherry?” He clutches his hand over his heart. “Don’t you know not to get into cars with strangers?,” he scolds, jabbing at Jong Kook’s poor memory.

“Fair enough, fair enough,” Jong Kook says, allowing it. “We’re fine now, though. I think. We’re not… bad… anyway.”

Kwang Soo’s eyebrows raise. “Really? After yesterday?”

“What happened yesterday?” Suk Jin slides up to the little group, nosy. Everyone ignores him.

“Yeah, I guess.” Jong Kook shrugs. “Her mother in law was there this morning, and --”

“Oh, man,” Kwang Soo groans sympathetically. Jong Kook is about to go on when Charity appears at his elbow.

“Give me your bag,” she says. “Your manager isn’t going to make it today.” Jong Kook looks at her blankly, unmoving. “He’s not coming so -- ugh, just give it to me,” she says impatiently, tugging it off his shoulder and throwing it over her own opposite the shoulder holding Ji Hyo’s bag and over the top of her own backpack, before marching away, intent on her own coffee and cell phone, looking for all the world like a very modern sherpa. The men just watch her leave as Ji Hyo rejoins them.

“Oppa, are you getting along with my assistant now?,” she asks Jong Kook. “I asked her and she said you guys came in together today.”

“Uh, yeah… “ Jong Kook says distractedly, only half paying attention as he watches Charity vanish into the crowd surrounding them.

“Doesn’t look much different to me,” Suk Jin inserts. Everyone ignores him as the director calls everyone together for the opening.

 

* * *

 Many hours and several locations later, Charity appears at his side once again.

“Cell phone,” she says, hand extended.

“Eh?” He’s startled by her sudden appearance and takes a moment to process what she’s saying.

She jerks her head to the nearby pool, the pool about to be occupied by flying Running Man members. “Give me your cell phone,” she clarifies, sticking her hand out further.

“Oh,” he says dumbly, sliding it from his pocket and placing it in her hand without looking away from her face. She accepts the phone and swings her backpack around her side to tuck it in a pocket.

“Do you need me to charge it?,” she asks.

“Uh… what?” Still dumb. For some reason, his mind is not processing the things Charity’s saying, though she appears to be speaking plainly enough.

“Never mind. I’ll check it and take care of it.” She’s gone as quickly as she appeared and a few seconds later, Jong Kook notes the rest of the cast watching with interest.

Kwang Soo smiles. Ji Hyo is blank. Haha raises his eyebrows.

“How’s Hannah?,” Gary asks pointedly.

Jong Kook scowls, getting the gist of Gary’s inquiry and not liking it. He doesn’t quite know what he and Charity are, but he knows for certain what they’re not. “She’s fine,” he replies. “I actually saw her yesterday,” he says just as pointedly. “In fact -- oh. I was supposed to text her today and let her know where we were filming.” His phone is gone now, though, too late.

“Oooh!” Ji Hyo claps her hands together. “Have her come by sometime soon, oppa! I can’t wait to meet her.” She smiles at him so widely, so genuinely pleased for his good fortune, that he blushes from his toes to his hairline. Thankfully, the PD calls an end to the break before Jae Suk can make an issue of his happy embarrassment.

 

 


	29. Speed Racer

The filming finishes relatively early, but the cast and crew are exhausted when it ends. As the members gather to say good bye, Jae Suk speaks up.

“Hey, it’s so early, let’s all go get dinner, eh?” He slings one arm around Haha and the other around Suk Jin, pulling them close.

“I’m in,” Suk Jin says, and Haha and Gary murmur agreement as well.

“Ji Hyo’s not,” Charity says, popping up beside the group.

“Ahhh, but I’m hungry!,” Ji Hyo whines, almost stomping a foot.

“And I am the one who has to get you to your manager, who I believe has about six other places to take you, so you’re out. Your manager is parked over there.” She situates Ji Hyo with her bag and sends her off before looking at Jong Kook and Kwang Soo. “Do either of you need a ride home?”

“Actually,” Kwang Soo says regretfully, “my manager is waiting for me, too. I have an early flight tomorrow. Let’s do dinner again soon, though,” he says to the group before jogging off to the parking lot after Ji Hyo.

Charity turns toward Jong Kook and raises an eyebrow.

“I think I’m going to go to dinner,” he says.

“All right,” Charity responds. “You know how to get in when you get back.” She hands him his phone and bag and turns to walk away, lifting a hand as a goodbye to the group.

“Yah, Cherry, come to dinner with us,” Suk Jin urges.

“Not tonight,” she calls back over her shoulder. “Someone’s waiting for me at home.”

As Charity walks away, Jong Kook takes a moment to check his phone for messages, worried about Hannah’s reaction to his failure to text sooner. There’s one from Hannah from several hours earlier.

_**HannahBanana799476:** Mr. Kim Jong Kook! I know I said I wanted to see you filming today and I’m sorry to be so undependable, but something came up! Text me later! XOXO_

His mouth twists to the side as he realizes he had no need to be worried at all. He’s not entirely certain how he feels about that, but he moves to respond anyway. Before he can start his response, Gary is peering over his shoulder.

“Is that a text from Hannah? Is she mad you didn’t invite her to the filming? Invite her to dinner!”

Gary sounds as though he’s half-joking, but the rest of the remaining members jump on the idea, urging him to have Hannah join them for their cast dinner. Jong Kook thinks it over for a split second before shrugging his shoulders and keying in his response.

_**kjk76:** Don’t worry about it. Are you free now? Some of the cast members and I are going to dinner._

Hannah’s response appears seconds later.

_**HannahBanana799476:** Free and STARVING! Tell me where and I’ll meet you there!_

After a quick conference with everyone else, Jong Kook gives Hannah the restaurant location and hops into a car with Haha and Gary. While the two younger men chat back and forth through the drive, Jong Kook is silent, lost in thought. He feels like he should be nervous about introducing Hannah to his friends and colleagues, but he’s really not at all. He feels like he should have butterflies in his stomach at the idea of seeing her again, but he really doesn’t at all. Sure, he’s excited to hang out with her again, but… something feels different. Maybe this is what meeting a soulmate is like. Maybe it’s just comfortable, without all the awkward shyness he usually experiences around women. He smiles to himself at the idea, realizing it only makes sense. Of course meeting your actual soulmate is entirely different than all other women. In fact, it would be weird if he d _idn’t_ feel entirely different, now that he thinks about it. As the car pulls up outside the restaurant, he hops out quickly, buoyed by his realization.

“You all go ahead in, I’ll wait out here for Hannah,” he says to the rest of the group, just as the woman in question bounds up, bursting with energy. Jong Kook steps forward to greet her, but she is way ahead of him.

“Hello! Hello! I’m Hannah! I don’t speak Korean! I don’t speak Korean yet,” she clarifies. “But some day I will! Nice to meet you!” She sticks out her hand to a momentarily bewildered Jae Suk and he shakes it. Before he can say anything, she moves through everyone else, shaking hands and saying, “Hello!” cheerfully to Suk Jin, Gary, and Haha in turn, gracing each of them with her usual huge, beaming smile.

She turns to Jong Kook. “Mr. Kim Jong Kook!” She flings her arm around his shoulder. They’re nearly the same height with the heels she’s wearing and she has no trouble. “Sorry I couldn’t make it today, totally spaced out.”

He grins at her automatically, as usual totally charmed by her bubbly personality immediately. “It’s all right,” he replies. “Hanging around filming all day is boring, anyway.”

“Probably!,” Hannah agrees. “Is everyone here? Let’s go in! What do they serve here? I am STARVING.” She practically skips through the door of the restaurant. Behind her back, Jong Kook raises his eyebrows at the rest of the group, silently inquiring for their opinions. They all stare back, wide-eyed. Jong Kook grins, already well used to the effects of Hannah’s over the top personality, and follows her inside. Everyone else trails behind, casting meaningful looks between themselves.

Soon, they’re all settled around a low table with steaming bowls of stew and side dishes spread out before them. Jong Kook sits directly across from Hannah as Gary and Haha had jostled him out of the way to sit on either side of her. Jae Suk and Suk Jin sit on either side of Jong Kook. While he’s aggravated at not getting to sit beside Hannah, the arrangement does make it easier for him to jump in and translate as needed, and it’s needed a lot. Hannah barely seems to take a breath as she chats away happily with everyone. In short order, with Jong Kook’s help, she’s talked to both Haha and Gary about their music careers, swiveling her head back and forth between the two and bestowing them with her beaming smile. Before the food had arrived, she’d also interrogated both Jae Suk and Suk Jin about their wives, children, and where they live.

Eventually, her attention turns to the food and Jong Kook. He explains each dish and carefully watches her reactions as she tries each one, enjoying how she tries to keep a straight face when sampling the spiciest options. He points out a few he’s pretty sure she’ll like and watches her throw herself into eating with gusto. While she’s distracted with sorting out her meal, he casts a glance around the table to see if he can read the reactions of his friends. Gary and Haha are both looking directly down at their bowls and Suk Jin is oblivious to anything aside from staring at Hannah.

“Hannah,” Suk Jin starts. “How long are you going to be in Korea?” He doesn’t bother to attempt to ask the question in English, but instead waits for Jong Kook to translate, which he does.

“About a year,” she replies, also in English. “How long are _you_ going to be in Korea?” She winks at him and he immediately flushes bright pink. Jong Kook suspects he has no idea what Hannah said, nor does he think Suk Jin cares. He rolls his eyes at Suk Jin’s reaction to a little joking attention from a pretty girl and turns to Jae Suk as Gary and Haha attempt to rescue Hannah from Suk Jin’s impending foolishness.

“What do you think, hyung?,” Jong Kook asks Jae Suk quietly while Hannah’s attention is elsewhere.

“What do _you_ think, Jong Kookie? Isn’t that what matters?”

Jong Kook rolls his eyes again. “Cut the crap. What do you think of her?”

“She’s very pretty,” Jae Suk replies.

“She is,” Jong Kook agrees.

“And she seems quite smart.” He’s half listening to Hannah try to explain her fellowship program to Gary and Haha, who are pretending to totally understand what that is.

“I think so,” Jong Kook agrees again.

“She’s very friendly.”

“There’s that, yes, I’ve noticed,” Jong Kook replies dryly.

“But she’s only going to be here a year?”

“Well, that’s her plan,” Jong Kook says. “But you know that’s going to change, obviously.”

“Ah, of course you’re right,” Jae Suk says neutrally. “Once she realizes she loves you, she’ll stay here forever, right?”

“Right.”

Jae Suk crosses his arms over his chest and watches Hannah interact with the other three men. Despite the language barrier, she holds her own in the conversation. Gary, Haha, and Suk Jin seem to be enjoying her company, and not just for Jong Kook’s benefit. He watches her throw her head back and laugh out loud before shoving Gary’s shoulder in a joking way.

Jong Kook narrows his eyes, also having caught the interaction. “Hannah,” he says abruptly, and she turns her beaming grin on him, her green eyes still sparkling with laughter.

“Mr. Kim Jong Kook!,” she exclaims in response.

“I’m sorry I didn’t text you today to let you know where we were filming.”

“Oh, it’s okay!,” she says, waving her hands dismissively and taking another bite of her meal. “I ended up doing something else and it completely slipped my mind.”

“Oh? What did you get up to today?” He’s determined to keep her attention on him for a bit.

“Bought a car,” she says, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“You bought a _car_?”

“Mmhm,” she nods.

“Isn’t your apartment really close to where you’ll be working? And it’s right by a subway stop as well, right?”

“Uh huh.” Hannah’s a little distracted by the food.

“So… you just… why would you buy a _car_?” He can’t help it, he’s concerned about and puzzled by her choice. She just arrived in Korea, she’s a student, and is spending huge chunks of money on something so unnecessary?

“I wanted one.” She shrugs. “It’s _really_ cute.”

“I thought you said you weren’t a good driver, though,” he presses on.

Hannah raises her eyebrows at him. “I’m an excellent driver. I’m a terrible _parallel parker_.”

 _Well, good luck parking in front of your building, then_ , Jong Kook thinks but doesn’t say. Instead, he says, “Still, a car payment on a student budget? Did you at least get a good deal on it?” He knows he’s nagging but he can’t help himself.

Hannah’s smile falters for just an instant before it’s back full force. “No need to worry. No payments, I paid cash.”

Jong Kook sputters on the water he’s just lifted to his lips and Hannah takes that opportunity to turn away from him and ask Haha a question about his son.

“What are you thinking, hyung?,” Jong Kook asks, a tinge of anxiousness in his voice, knowing Jae Suk watched the entire exchange.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Just… do you love _her_?”

“No,” Jong Kook replies instantly. “I mean, yes. No. Well, I will.” Jong Kook angles away from Jae Suk a bit to watch Hannah himself. “Like you said,” he continues in a low voice, “she’s pretty, and smart, and friendly. She’s a hard worker.”

“All good qualities,” Jae Suk says.

“But… ?”

“But… She’s not exactly the type I pictured you ending up with, I guess.”

Jong Kook balks slightly at the words. “What, you thought I would end up with someone ugly, lazy, and dumb?”

Jae Suk laughs. “No, no, it’s not that at all. It was just a first impression, a feeling. She seems lovely, really.”

Jong Kook is slightly mollified with Jae Suk’s answer. “Ah, okay then. Well, you’ll see. Life is full of surprises, right, hyung?” Jong Kook grins at his older friend who smiles in return. As Jong Kook turns back to Hannah, Jae Suk catches Haha’s eye and they stare at each other, wide eyed, communicating without words.

For the rest of the meal, Jong Kook jumps back in to translating between Hannah and the rest of the group. He’s pleased with how seamlessly she integrates herself with new people, even those who don’t speak the same language. By the end of the meal, she’s added everyone to her Kakao Talk, much to Jong Kook’s amusement, and promised to take Gary for a ride in her new car sometime. The goodbyes are long and drawn out with no need for translation, as Hannah’s effusive thanks for inviting her to join dinner and genuine happiness to have met everyone shine through clearly.

“Mr. Kim Jong Kook!,” she says as everyone starts to part ways outside the restaurant. “Let me give you a ride home.”

Not one to pass up more time with her, Jong Kook agrees quickly. Hannah clicks a button on keys she pulls from a small purse and across the street, the headlights flash on an admittedly poorly parked BMW. As they check the traffic and cross the street to approach the car, Jong Kook’s jaw drops.

“This is your car?,” he asks Hannah as he circles it slowly. It’s a brand new BMW 520D, black.

“Yep!,” she replies cheerfully. “Isn’t it adorable?”

“It’s… something,” he agrees.

Hannah circles around to where Jong Kook is standing and nudges him away from the driver’s door, where he is peering in the window. “Out of the way,” she says with a quick hip check.

“Would you like me to drive?,” he asks.

She shoots him a puzzled look. “Why would I want you to drive?” She pulls open the driver’s door and inclines her head to indicate he should head to the passenger side.

“I don’t… I don’t know, I just thought you might want me to drive. New streets, you know.” He walks around the front of the car, sliding one finger over the hood as he does so, then opens the passenger door and slides into the seat as Hannah settles herself in her own seat.

“Nah,” she says. “I don’t need you to drive for me. I can figure that stuff out on my own.” She inserts the key and gives it a turn. “Buckle up!,” she instructs gleefully as she peels away from the curb. Jong Kook barely has time to click the seat belt into place before he needs to grab on to the sides of the seat and hang on for dear life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a double update since I'm planning to be TOO CRAZED WITH EXCITEMENT to write anything this weekend because I'M GOING TO SEE BIG BANG.


	30. Dinner Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't see the note on the last chapter, this is a double update, so if you didn't see ch 29 yet, do that first!

The drive goes by incredibly quickly, not due to the pleasant company, but more as a result of Hannah’s breakneck driving. She seems oblivious herself, chattering on happily about starting at the hospital the next day, little interactions she’s had with Daniel since the lunch with Jong Kook, and occasionally exclaiming about different shops along the road, though Jong Kook has no idea how she spots them as they’re whizzing by. He breaks in once in awhile to direct her and before he knows it, Hannah is pulling up in front of Charity’s apartment. Jong Kook winces as she hits the curb, but Hannah is unperturbed.

“Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Thank you for inviting me to dinner! Your friends are all so nice, I had a fantastic time.”

“Any time.” Jong Kook grins at Hannah, finally replacing the grimace that had been in place on his face for the entire drive as he anticipated his death around every corner. “Can I take you --”

Hannah cuts in. “I’m going to be super busy for a while, but let’s see each other soon. I’ll take _you_ for a meal next time.” Jong Kook opens his mouth to object, but she holds up a hand. “No arguments! Friends take turns.” She smiles at him and sticks out her hand to shake his good night. “Right, friend?”

Jong Kook hesitates, looking at her extended hand for a long moment before finally extending his own. “Right…” He shakes her hand and Hannah lets go quickly, craning her neck around to see past him to the building stretching high into the sky. 

“Is this where you live? With your parents? What are you parents like? Can I meet them sometime? Oh, it’s late, right? I should let you go instead of talking your ear off! But my Korean lessons start soon, so then I’m really going to start talking your ear off. Be prepared, Mr. Kim Jong Kook!” She laughs lightly.

“I won’t mind at all,” he says sincerely. “Thank you for the ride home.” He pushes the door open and steps out onto the sidewalk. “Great car, Hannah. Good night!”

“Thank you! And good night!”

As soon as the door is shut, she screeches away, causing Jong Kook to wince deeply. He stays on the sidewalk for a while, staring down the road long after her taillights have disappeared into the sea of traffic.

He thinks back on the evening as he slowly makes his way inside the building. How easily and comfortably Hannah chatted with his friends. How she slotted into place among everyone with barely a blip. Her friendly attitude and easy way of drawing everyone into conversation even when she doesn’t speak the same language. He smiles, remembering her teasing Suk Jin and the man’s flustered response.

As he enters the lobby and crosses to wait for the elevator, he starts thinking about what Jae Suk said and shifts his weight uncomfortably. What did Jae Suk mean by “not the type” he pictured Jong Kook ending up with? What’s wrong with Hannah? He can’t think of anything off the top of his head, except maybe the way she drives. And the lavish car purchase kind of goes against his financial sensibilities. And she _did_ forget that she was supposed to come to the film set that day. But those are minor things, really, as far as Jong Kook is concerned. Except maybe the way she drives. So it can’t be that Jae Suk thinks there’s something _wrong_ with Hannah, then. It must be that Jae Suk never imagined Jong Kook would end up with someone as great as Hannah, really, he tells himself as he steps into the elevator and punches the button for the 15th floor.

By the time he reaches the door of Charity’s apartment, he’s almost totally shaken off his unease at Jae Suk’s comments. He keys in 4-8-9-4 to the pad above the doorknob and lets himself in to the apartment, kicking his shoes off into the cubby just inside. He trudges across the dim apartment and is halfway across the living room when he spots Charity sitting silently on one of the couches and jumps a mile.

“Hey,” she says, amused. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he says, reaching over the back of the other couch and dropping his bag before circling around to flop down himself. “Just wasn’t expecting to see you there.” He glances at his watch. “Aren’t you usually... out and about by now?,” he asks diplomatically.

“Mm,” she neither agrees nor disagrees, giving him a look. “Not tonight.” She jerks her head in the direction of the stairs and Jong Kook remembers.

“Oh, Zoe’s asleep? Did you guys have a good night?” He suddenly feels exhausted and sprawls out along the couch, promising himself he’ll only lay down for a moment before showering and heading to bed.

Charity nods. “We did.” Her phone dings and she glances down, frowns, then sets it face down on the cushion beside her. She sits forward on the couch and bounces her knee.

“Did she enjoy the amusement park with your mother in law?” Jong Kook slides his cap off his head and over his eyes. _Just another few minutes_ , he tells himself.

“She did. I think she did. She’s wiped out, but we got to have dinner and watch a movie together before she totally melted down.” Charity’s phone dings again and she stands up suddenly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“That’s good.” Jong Kook barely masks a yawn. “Did Miranda behave herself?”

“As far as I know, but who really knows. Hey. I’m going to get something from the kitchen. I’m going to get a drink. Or a snack. Or a drink and a snack. Did you eat? Are you hungry? Can I get you anything? You look tired, maybe you should go to bed. It was a long day.” She calls that last bit over her shoulder as she bounces across the space to the kitchen and begins immediately opening and closing drawers and cabinets at random.

Jong Kook forces himself to sit back up on the couch. “No, I’m fine. I’m fine. And yes, I’m a little tired, but your day was just as long as mine, why do you have so much energy?”

Her phone gives another burst of notifications and Charity’s actions get even more erratic. “I think I’m going to make eggs,” she announces. “Oh, no, wait, we had eggs for breakfast, right? I should leave the eggs for Zoe for tomorrow.” She flings open the fridge. “I’ll make… steak.” She starts hauling things out of the fridge and piling them on the counter.

“Steak?” Jong Kook’s eyebrows nearly reach his hair. “It’s after 10pm. You don’t need to eat steak right now.”

Charity surveys the pile of food on the counter. “You’re probably right.” She immediately begins loading everything back into the fridge. “I’ll just have water.” She pours herself a glass and immediately drains it, tapping her foot the entire time.

“Charity.” Jong Kook half-laughs at the frenetic flurry of activity. “Are you drunk or something?”

“Not at all,” she groans, suddenly hopping onto one of the kitchen stools and dropping her head onto her folded arms. Her phone vibrates from where it’s slid between the couch cushions and suddenly the lightbulb goes off in Jong Kook’s mind. He gets up and moves to the other couch, pulling her phone out and quietly switching it to silent mode before sliding it back between the cushions.

“On second thought, I could eat a steak,” he says.

Charity’s head lifts halfway up off her arms. “Really?”

“Yes, really. That girl I want to date? She came to dinner with us tonight and I barely ate a thing, I was so distracted.”

Charity lifts her head all the way and half-smiles at him. “Ah, too bad, I’m sure it would have been nice to meet her.” She makes an abrupt turn of subject. “Steak!,” she says, leaping from the stool and clapping her hands together before heading back to the fridge and pulling everything out once again. She immediately busies herself with the task of preparing and cooking the steaks and Jong Kook can tell the distraction from whatever is eating at her is helping. He heads to the kitchen and takes up Charity’s former place on the stool, watching her cook.

“So, Charity,” he says, looking around, “can I ask you a few questions.”

“Shoot,” she says, her back to him as she places a pan on the stove to heat.

“This apartment… you don’t ask Kwang Soo or I for money or anything, and I don’t know how much Ji Hyo pays, but it’s not this much, right? Is your company doing really well?”

“Nah,” she says, her back still toward Jong Kook. “I mean, it’s doing okay in the States. Quite a few small businesses and a couple quite large ones work with us. But it’s not really taking hold here.”

“So, how… ? I mean, if you don’t mind,” he adds hastily.

“I don’t mind.” She starts seasoning the steaks. “So when Dare and I first met, he used to get me little gifts all the time.”

Jong Kook watches her as she starts talking about her husband, wondering if he’s made a tactical error in conversation direction, but there’s no apparent change in her demeanor as she goes on.

“Just whatever, you know, something he saw when he was out that made him think of me. Things for made up anniversaries, like the anniversary of the first time he heard me snore. Normal gross couple shit. Anyway, I got pregnant shortly after we got together, which was a whole thing, but we got married and got an apartment and all of that. After a while, though, we needed to move because the apartment wasn’t in a great area and we wanted to get to a better place before the baby was born.”

She drops the first steak into the pan and reaches to the side to get a couple of plates.

“Ugh, I’m making this story longer than it needs to be. So we found a place we really liked but the apartment wouldn’t be available for four months and our lease was ending in one, so we went to stay at his parents’ for the in between time. It was… not fun.”

Jong Kook winces, imagining having to live with Miranda.

“But we made the best of it and carried on as usual, with him occasionally bringing me little gifts and sending flowers just because. Except now, every time he did, Miranda would be right there with her nose in the air, saying shit like,” Charity puts on her Miranda voice. “‘I wonder how you are ever going to manage in that new apartment with Darren throwing his money away on you like that,’ and ‘Must be nice to get expensive flowers when my son is working hard all day to support you.’”

Jong Kook feels his ire rise, but Charity is still entirely neutral, apparently desensitized to Miranda’s ways.

“So after a couple of go rounds with that, I told him, you’ve got to stop getting me flowers, your mother thinks I’m making you be irresponsible with your money. At the time, see, I was still so eager to please Miranda and get her to like me. I really thought if I just acted the way she wanted and did the things she wanted and served up my baby to her on a silver platter, she’d eventually like me.” Charity lets out a humorless laugh and lays the other steak in the pan. “As you can seeeeee, I was not successful.”

She lapses into silence, watching the steaks cook. Jong Kook doesn’t say anything, waiting for her to finish.

“Oh!,” she exclaims suddenly. “Where was I? Oh. Right. So Dare was like, ‘But what do I buy you to show I love you?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, get me something responsible! Like… _life insurance_!’ And we both started laughing and realized the ridiculousness of the situation, trying to think of a gift to be romantic but at the same time please his ridiculous mother. But kind of like an inside joke, he _did_ actually present me with life insurance policies every time a big anniversary or occasion or reason to celebrate rolled around.” She pokes the steaks, then pulls them out of the pan and puts them on the plates.

“It started as a joke, anyway, but they kind of piled up. And now…” She shrugs and sets a plate in front of Jong Kook, leaning against the counter with her own plate.

“That is… not the answer I was expecting,” Jong Kook says, looking down at his plate and cutting into the steak he is entirely too full to eat. “So the romantic life insurance failed to impress Miranda, huh?”

Charity chews and swallows a piece of her own steak before answering. “If she was impressed, she would certainly never tell me. She didn’t really have anything bad to say about the life insurance, though. Well, until I collected it. Then she had some stuff to say. She didn’t really have any idea of how much it was. Still doesn’t know, but obviously suspects. She believes at least half should belong to her.”

“What? Why?”

“Because Dare would have wanted it that way.”

“If he wanted it that way, wouldn’t she have been listed on the policies?”

Charity points her fork at him. “Exactly, but do you know why she wasn’t?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to guess that according to her, it’s somehow your fault, Charity.”

Charity laughs, genuinely. “You’d be guessing right. How is your steak? Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m fine, it’s good,” he responds. And it is. 

She glances at the time on the stove. “Oh, I really shouldn’t keep you up much longer. I’m sure you’ve got a big schedule tomorrow.”

He shakes his head. “It’s no problem.”

“How was dinner? Did your girl have a good time?”

Jong Kook nods. “Yes, I think so. I mean, she said she did, so that means she did, right?” He suddenly hears uncertainty in his own voice.

Charity grins at him. “Women make you nervous, eh?”

“That’s a pretty well-known fact.”

“If she said she had a good time, I’m sure she had a good time. Did you invite her to get everyone’s approval?”

“No, we were supposed to meet up earlier in the day, and I forgot, so I invited her to dinner to make up for it.”

Charity waits, looking at him pointedly.

“And to get everyone’s approval,” he finishes ruefully, flushing a bit.

“And?”

Jong Kook looks at Charity, noting that she’s stopped bouncing in place. “And I think everyone liked her. I know Suk Jin did.”

“Oh, she’s beautiful, then?”

“You do know Suk Jin well, it seems.” They both laugh lightly. Jong Kook continues, “Gary and Haha enjoyed talking to her, but I didn’t get to talk to them before we split up. Jae Suk…” Jong Kook hesitates. “Jae Suk seems to think she’s not my type.”

“Wouldn’t you know your type better than Jae Suk does?”

“Of course.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know.” Jong Kook shakes his head and speaks slowly as he works through his thoughts. “I guess I just really trust Jae Suk’s opinion. I respect him a lot.”

Charity nods. “So if he seems to think there’s something wrong with her, then it makes you question yourself.”

“Right,” Jong Kook says. “And actually, I realized he probably meant that she’s kind of out of my league, so he didn’t picture me ever being with someone like her.”

Charity doesn’t say anything, but her skeptical eyebrow raise speaks volumes.

He finishes up his steak and reaches across the counter to grab her plate before standing to place both in the sink, then leans against the counter opposite Charity.

“Can I ask _you_ a question?”

“Of course,” he nods, arms crossed over his chest and feet crossed at the ankle as he leans back against the sink.

“Why do you call me Charity? Everyone else calls me Cherry.”

“Well, you introduced yourself to me as Charity.”

She snorts. “I was actually introduced to you as Cherry several times, but fair enough. The time you remember, I introduced myself to you as Charity.” She inclines her head, conceding the point.

Jong Kook continues. “And I realize now I met you several times before, whether I remember or not, and I guess… I wanted to make a point to you that I remember you by remembering your name.”

She raises her brows and nods.

“Also,” he goes on, “it seems like Cherry is something your friends call you, so I didn’t think it was appropriate.”

“We’re not friends?” Her eyebrows shoot up.

“No. I mean, yes. I mean, I guess we are now. Ugh.” He runs his hands over his face. “I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me after the way I’ve behaved.” His voice is muffled, coming from behind his hands.

She narrows her eyes. “You know, I don’t know why you don’t remember meeting me. It’s really strange, to be honest, and everyone else has agreed. I don’t know why you started remembering _now_ , considering sometimes you’d act as if you’d never seen me before as soon as the next day.”

Jong Kook drops his hands from his face, looking at Charity in shock. It’s one thing to have met her a few times and, for whatever reason, not registering it in his memory. It’s something entirely different to have been introduced so many times because he was forgetting day to day. Charity is right. It is really strange.

She goes on. “And I admit that recently, it had been really starting to rub me the wrong way, so you definitely caught the edge of my temper this last little while. It’s unfortunate that you finally started recognizing me when I was being less than kind.” She sighs deeply. “And I apologize.”

“Oh, God, no, please don’t apologize to me. I’ve clearly been a total ass.” He can’t even comprehend what she’s telling him, really, but continues to verbally berate himself for his apparent actions.

She holds up her bandaged hand to stem his flow of apologies. “Like I told you this morning, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Everyone makes mistakes. Yours, admittedly, is a weird one, but everyone makes them, and needs to let them go.”

He remembers her words from this morning. _Everyone makes mistakes. Let it go_. He nods, agreeing to let it go, as it seems that’s what she sincerely wants.

“So I guess your ‘first impression’,” she does air quotes, “of me was not so great. But I have nothing negative to say about my first impression of you. Or my second impression. Or third. Or many after that.” She shrugs and pushes off the counter, heading into the living room. She feels around on the couch and finally locates her phone between the cushions. She looks at it and frowns, then holds it up and shakes it in the air a bit.

“Things like this, see?” She clicks her volume button back up. “You’re a good guy, and I know that. I’m being nice to you because everyone makes mistakes. You’ve made yours and I’ve made mine and now we let it go.”

She looks around the apartment and stretches her arms in the air. “I think… I think I’m _tired_ ,” she says, sounding surprised. “I think I can sleep now.” She appears to be at least mildly shocked at the idea, making it even more clear to Jong Kook that something was whirling around in her head when he got home.

“Me, too,” he agrees, heading over to the couch to collect his bag before starting toward his room. He’s so tired, too tired to really absorb what Charity’s said tonight. As he thinks about it, words and ideas bounce around in his brain without reaching any real conclusion, frustrating him. He chalks it up to exhaustion. “I’ll head to bed. Thanks for the steak, it was really great.”

“Mmm.” Charity doesn’t really reply as she trudges up the stairs to her bedroom. Just before opening her bedroom door, she calls back down.”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi?”

“Yeah?” He pokes his head back out of his guest room.

“Thank you.”

“It’s what friends do,” he replies, and shuts the door.


	31. Eggs?

The next day starts early for Jong Kook. He hits the gym in the building for a quick hour before hustling back to Charity's apartment to shower. He gathers some clothes from the room he's quickly starting to consider his and brings them, along with a towel, into the bathroom, remembering to lock the door this time.

By the time he's finished and brushing his teeth at the sink, he can hear Charity and Zoe moving around in the kitchen. He slips out of the bathroom quietly, intending to head back to his room without disturbing the pair, but as he passes the living area, Zoe's head pops up over the back of the couch.

"Hello!," she calls to him.

He stops, towel slung over his arm. "Hello, Zoe. Good morning." He smiles at her. "What are you up to today?"

Charity huffs in the kitchen, waving a spatula in frustration. "Zoe," she breaks in. "How do you say hello?"

"Hello!," she replies brightly.

"Zoe." Charity's tone is disapproving.

Zoe sighs, shoving her glasses back up her nose with her finger. Still draped over the back of the couch, she says, "Annyeonghaseyo," very slowly and deliberately, then looks at Charity for approval. Her mother nods at her and goes back to whatever she has cooking on the stove.

"Oh!" Jong Kook pretends to be surprised. "Are you Korean, Zoe? You sound Korean!"

"No!," Zoe laughs. "I'm American!"

"Are you sure?," he asks suspiciously. "Because I'm pretty sure you just spoke Korean."

Zoe beams under his praise, looking again over to her mother, who gives her a thumbs up.

"How about when I get home later I help you practice?," he asks her. "We can all play a game together."

"Yes!," exclaims Zoe. "I will be the best Korean and you will be the worst!"

Jong Kook laughs. "We'll just see tonight, won't we?"

"We're about to have eggs. I threw some in for you when I heard you in the shower." Charity gestures to the pan with her spatula. "Almost ready."

"Oh -- okay." Jong Kook is still taken aback by Charity's kindness. He crosses the rest of the way to his room and tosses his dirty clothes aside, then grabs what he needs for the day before heading back out to the kitchen. He pulls out a stool and sits down across from where Charity is cooking. She turns to the fridge and pours two glasses of orange juice and one of water, putting the water in front of the stool to his left and pushing one of the orange juices across to him. He nods in thanks and puts his phone on the counter, scrolling through to make sure he's up to date on his schedule for the day. Zoe clambers up beside him.

"You have a lot scheduled today?," Charity asks him, her back to him as she slides the eggs onto plates.

"Eh," Jong Kook shrugs as she turns around and sets a plate in front of him and another in front of Zoe. "One of those days with a lot of little things. Nothing that will take too long itself, but a long day."

Charity nods as she fixes her own plate. "Ji Hyo has one of those today, as well."

"Oh." Jong Kook looks at Zoe, who is shoveling eggs into her mouth with surprising speed. "Then Zoe's... ?"

Zoe lifted her head at the sound of her name. "Mimi is taking me to the children's museum today, Mr. Kim Jong Kook! And to the zoo!"

Jong Kook slides his eyes toward Charity, but she's looking down at her plate as if she's got the most interesting eggs in the world. He stares at her for a beat, then looks back at Zoe. "That sounds like fun. Are you excited?"

She nods, stuffing the last of her eggs in her mouth as the doorbell rings. "I'll get it!," she bellows, and slides down from her stool, rushing for the door.

Jong Kook looks at Charity again. This time she looks up and meets his eyes. Her lips twist in a wry smile and she shrugs before collecting Zoe's plate and turning away from him to give it a quick rinse in the sink. He watches her back, straight and stiff. He finds himself impressed with her determination to get through this time to reach her end goals. He's about to say as much when he hears Miranda in the hallway.

"Come on, Zoe. Get your bag and let's leave! We can get breakfast!"

"Mama already made me breakfast, Mimi!" Zoe giggles. "I can't eat anymore, I'm stuffed."

"Well, let's at least get you some fruit so you can have some nutrition in you." 

Jong Kook notices Charity's hands clench around the edge of the sink for a moment before loosening. She's wiping her hands on a dishtowel when Zoe drags Miranda into the kitchen.

"Mama, Mimi's here!," Zoe announces, somewhat unnecessarily Jong Kook feels, as the temperature in the apartment must have dropped ten degrees upon her entrance.

"Good morning, Miranda," Charity says neutrally, scrubbing at an invisible spot on the counter with her dishtowel.

"Good morning, Miranda," Jong Kook says, overly cheerful. When the woman looks his way, he gives her a big beaming grin. She can't stop her lip from curling in disgust, and he grins even bigger. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine, thank you," the older woman says in clipped tones before turning to Charity. "Charity, you should know ---"

"I'm fine, too," Jong Kook breaks in, keeping up his cheerful tone. "Just enjoying these eggs Charity made for me."

Miranda glances over her shoulder at him for a split second before turning back to Charity. "Charity, I --"

"Do you like eggs, Miranda?," Jong Kook asks, finding it almost too hard to keep a straight face as the exasperated woman looks his way again. "Zoe really enjoyed them. Why don't you sit down and have some with us?" He pats the stool to his right. 

"I -- just -- no. No, thank you." Miranda is clearly flustered.

"Oh, are you sure? They're very good." He takes another huge forkful and keeps grinning at her. 

"So good you come running over here for breakfast every morning?," Miranda asks snarkily.

"Oh, no, Mimi, Mr. Kim Jong Kook sleeps here!," Zoe supplies helpfully from the floor where she's pulling on a pair of purple sparkly sneakers.

Miranda smirks. "I thought as much," she sniffs.

Jong Kook stands with his empty plate and circles the counter to put it in the sink, standing with his front almost pressed to Charity's back. He rests his hands on her shoulders. "What can I say?," he says, then makes his tone conspiratorial. "I just can't stay away from these...  _eggs_." He subtly pulls Charity back against his chest, just for a second, while continuing to smile blithely at Miranda. He can see her suck in a deep breath and clench her teeth. He doesn't know what's gotten into him, but he finds her response gratifying and lets go of Charity's shoulders. Charity hasn't made a move or said a word, not adding to or contradicting anything he's said.

Miranda seems to gather herself. "As I was  _saying_ ," she grits out, "since you've got so much work to do, it'll be best if Zoe stays with me tonight. I'll bring her back --"

Charity opens her mouth to protest, but Jong Kook speaks before she can. "Actually, Miranda," he explains, throwing an arm around her stiff shoulders and leading her toward the door. "Zoe and I have plans tonight. So she won't be able to stay with you." He opens the door. "Why don't you go down and get the air conditioning in your car started. I'll bring Zoe down to the front in just a couple of minutes, after she gets a chance to say good bye to her mother." He nudges her into the hallway. "See you in a few!" He waggles his fingers at her cheekily and lets the door close harder than is strictly necessary. 

He pulls his own shoes out from a cubby near the door and circles back around to the kitchen. His steps slow as he nears the counter, and he's suddenly uncomfortable with what he's done. He knows he's  _majorly_  overstepped his boundaries as a guest in Charity's house. Taunting her mother in law is one thing, but insinuating that they're sleeping together? He cringes internally, eyes cast down as he sits at the counter to pull on his sneakers. He's afraid to meet Charity's eyes, afraid to find out that the fragile friendship forming between them has already been shattered to pieces.

The silence drags on until Jong Kook finds it unbearable. He slowly lifts his head to look across the counter where Charity is still standing by the sink. She hasn't moved a single step. The whole encounter lasted just minutes but it feels as though she's been frozen and silent for hours. He lifts his eyes to hers to find her staring at him, wide-eyed. He searches her deep brown eyes, trying to read her expression, but just doesn't know her well enough to understand just how angry she might be. He mentally scrambles for something to say, for an apology that might be enough, for an explanation that put into words just how angry hearing Miranda speak to her so imperiously made him. He finds no words, nothing to say. They stare at each other, not even breaking eye contact when Zoe starts happily chatting to no one about all the animals she's going to see.

Finally, the corners of Charity's mouth turn down in a frown, just slightly. Jong Kook swallows hard. He wants to explain that he was just defending her, that he wanted to throw himself up as a shield between her and Miranda, and that he's sorry he went about it so awkwardly. That he knows it isn't his place to make her mother in law squirm. But still, no words come out. Her mouth twitches again and she bites her lip. She doesn't even glance toward Zoe when the girl starts asking where her backpack has gone, just pointing wordlessly toward the couch, never breaking eye contact with Jong Kook.

Finally, she snorts suddenly. Jong Kook starts at the sound and she claps a hand over her mouth, but not quickly enough to stop another snort from escaping. She slaps her other hand over the first, and he watches her, bemused and relieved, as she dissolves into helpless laughter muffled behind her hands. It goes on and on and Jong Kook can't stop his own cheeky grin from returning once tears start streaming from the corners of her eyes. She laughs so hard and so long, she slides down to the floor to sit in front of the oven in a giggling heap. Watching her sprawl herself out flat on her back, her whole body shaking with the effort to hold back her snorts, he starts laughing himself, dropping his head to the counter and letting his shoulders shake at the ridiculous turn things have taken. 


	32. Getting Jiggae

After peeling Charity up off the floor, Jong Kook does follow through with his promise to Miranda and delivers Zoe to her down in front of the building. Checking his watch, he sees he has just about ten minutes before his manager is due to arrive to collect him, and hurries back up to the apartment.

He punches in the code and lets himself back in. Charity is sitting on the bottom stair pulling on a pair of bright pink sneakers and looks up as he enters. "You out of here?," she asks.

"In just a couple of minutes. I wanted to try to catch you before you left," he replies.

Charity stands and pulls a backpack off the steps behind her. "What's up?"

"I realize I probably crossed a line --"

"No, that was  _hilarious_ ," Charity breaks in.

"Oh, really?" He grins and feels his cheeks warm a bit with pleasure at her approval. "Good. Good. But actually, I meant promising Zoe I'd play a game with her tonight. I know she's only here for a short time and I don't want to intrude on your time together."

"Oh." Charity waves a hand dismissively. "It's cool. I'm making grilled chicken salad and I think Kwang Soo said he might be here tonight, too. I'm sure Zoe's already looking forward to it. But if you're too busy -- "

"No!" Jong Kook exclaims, then says again more calmly, "No. I'm not busy. I'll be here," he says firmly.

Charity raises her eyebrows at him wordlessly, then shrugs. "All right, sounds good. Do you need a ride anywhere?" She's looking into her bag as she asks.

"No, my manager will be here in a few minutes. I'm just going to grab my stuff and I'll head down to wait for him."

"All right." She zips her bag shut. "I'll see you tonight, then."

"See you tonight," he agrees as she heads out the door.

As the door closes behind Charity, Jong Kook walks into the kitchen to grab his cell phone. The message indicator light is lit and he pulls up his chat program to find a text from Hannah.

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Had fun last night, Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Your friends are great! Looking forward to seeing you again sometime!_

He smiles goofily down at his phone. He's about to respond when the phone rings in his hand. It's his manager, calling to let him know he's out front. Jong Kook slides his phone into his pocket and makes a mental note to message Hannah when he gets a break, then hurries out of the apartment himself.

* * *

Shortly after noon, Jong Kook was able to find some space in his schedule to finally sit down and have a bite to eat. A long string of radio interviews, quick photo shoots, and wardrobe meetings has filled his morning. Digging into his meal, he slides his phone out of his pocket to check his messages. There's one from Kwang Soo, asking if he'd be at Charity's that evening, and he responds in the affirmative. Kwang Soo quickly writes back that he'll see him there.

Jong Kook pulls up his messages from Hannah, reading them over for the thousandth time. He wonders if it's too soon to ask her to hang out again and decides it probably is. Quickly, he shrugs that notion off. Why shouldn't he see her as much as he wants? They need to get to know each other better. He's pleased that things are moving along, but the pace feels too slow. He wants to race to the end, to the part where their lives together finally begin. 

He chews thoughtfully as he pulls up the keyboard to send her a message. Should he ask her to dinner? Cook for her? Maybe she'd like to go to the gym again. He realizes yet again that while he feels like he knows her, he doesn't  _know_  her. It's hard to separate what is  _actually_  Hannah from what he's kind of made up in his mind as he's imagined them spending time together. Since the day he met her in the airport, he must have played through a million different scenarios, all where Hannah played the role of the perfect partner for him. In reality, she's different. She's brighter, funnier, more of a force than he could construct in his mind before spending real time with her. She's more independant than he imagined. She's more outgoing, not shy or retiring at all. And very driven. Her desire to work toward her goals and come out on top shines through in everything she says and does. It's admirable, of course, but not at all what he pictured. He mentally shrugs, figuring that the fortune teller had been right this far, so there must be something he doesn't see yet.

He shakes his head, setting his thoughts aside for now. Instead, he sends Hannah a quick message.

**_kjk76:_ ** _I had fun, too. But we didn't get to talk too much with everyone there. Are you free for an early dinner tonight? I know your schedule is going to only get crazier._

Her response comes just a few moments later.

_**HannahBanana799476:** I actually have a break around 4pm today. Dinner would be great. Do you want me to pick you up?_

Jong Kook winces at the idea of getting in the passenger seat of Hannah's car again.

_**kjk76:**  No, that's all right. I'm with my manager today and he can bring me. I'll text you an address._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Oh, a manager! Fancy. All right. I'll look for your message and see you later!_

_**HannahBanana799476:** XOXO!_

Jong Kook smiles slightly as he locks his phone again, then quickly finishes his meal before his next appointment.

* * *

The rest of the day drags, but it's not long before it's time to meet Hannah for dinner. He texts her quickly to ask if she's having any trouble finding the restaurant, and she lets him know she's already inside, so he heads in. He spots her at a table in the back, grinning up at two attentive waiters.  _Overly attentive_ , he thinks to himself, grimacing.

He makes his way to the table and slides into a chair across from her.

"Mr. Kim Jong Kook!," she exclaims. "My friends here were just helping me figure out what to order."

Jong Kook shoots them a look and they each take a quick involuntary half step back.

"I can order for you," he says. 

"No, no, no," she waves both hands at him. "I can do this." She turns to smile at the waiters again, then back at Jong Kook. "Do you know what you like to eat here or do you need time to decide? I'm going to have... " She swirls her finger in the air above the menu and then jabs at it suddenly. "This!"

Jong Kook nods approvingly. "Good choice. I'll have the same. Do you know what we're having?"

"No idea!" Hannah laughs.

The waiters linger a moment longer before reluctantly heading off.

"So! Mr. Kim Jong Kook! How was your day today?"

Jong Kook's answer is delayed as he gets caught in the moment for a second, thinking about how much he likes this. Sitting across from Hannah, getting ready for dinner, talking about their days. How easily they fell right into a comfortable back and forth.

"Busy," he says, taking a drink of water to cover his pause. "How about yours?"

"The same," she replies. "I have about an hour before I have a quick orientation meeting at the university where I'm taking my Korean classes."

"Ah," Jong Kook nods. "I guess I should have figured you'd be starting those soon. So you'll be doing a lot of studying, then?"

"Mmhm." She nods. "Work at the hospital, classes in the evenings, lectures and events on the weekends. It's going to be pretty packed. It's already pretty packed, to be honest."

"I hope you'll still find time to see me," he says lightly, feeling his cheeks heat just a bit.

"Of course!," Hannah assured him, making a face of mock shock. "Where would I be without my only friend?"

Jong Kook is about to respond when their food arrives, unnecessarily delivered by  _both_  waiters, who hover over Hannah until Jong Kook shoots them another look. Hannah notices this time.

"What's with the death glares, Mr. Kim Jong Kook? Are you trying to terrify our waiters to death?"

"I... uh... no, not at all. Something in my eye." He rubs his eyes to make his point then quickly changes the subject. "Try your food, let me know what you think."

She looks down at the steaming bowl in front of her. "Okay, I give up. What is it?," she asks.

Jong Kook laughs. "It's soft tofu stew." He takes a bite of his own matching dish. "It's very good."

She hesitantly sips a spoonful. "Oooh!," she exclaims. "That  _is_  good. And I picked it all myself," she says proudly.

"You know I'm willing to help you with anything you need," he says.

Hannah makes a small face. "I know," she says. "But you've already gone out of your way for me."

"I don't mind at all," he assures her quickly.

"I believe you. But I like to do things on my own."

"I'm noticing that about you. You're pretty independent, huh?" His mind flashes back to her "never getting married" comment and he wonders how far into her personality that independent streak runs.

"Yep," she agrees. "Always have been. Sometimes - a lot of times! - the best way to get things done properly is to do them yourself."

"I agree," he replies. "I'm a lot the same way."

"Perfectionist?"

"A bit," he concedes. "You?"

"Oh, absolutely," she says without a hint of shame. "I like to have everything the way it's supposed to be.  _My_  way." She grins at him cheekily. "Maybe we're a lot alike, Mr. Kim Jong Kook."

"Maybe." He smiles back at her. 

They slip into easy conversation from there, mostly Jong Kook asking Hannah about her impending career in medicine. He's fascinated by how fascinated  _she_  is with the way the body works and stops working, and her interest in repairing it. They talk about famous athletes and their career-ending injuries, with Hannah providing new angles and insights on the varying degrees of damage and potential recovery times that professional athletes may face. He doesn't understand most of what she says, not the technical parts, but she's able to break the complicated topics down in an easy and engaging way, relating them back to his own injuries and time in the gym to make her points clear. He knows he doesn't know much about her field or about the medical field in general, but it's clear that Hannah does. It's also clear that she's brilliant.

"So...," he says, half-awkwardly as their meal winds down. "What else do you have planned?"

"Tonight?" She wipes her mouth with a napkin. "Just that 30 minute meeting, then home to study."

"No, I mean... in life. You've talked about your career, but what else do you think you'll do?"

"What else is there?" She shrugs. "What do you have planned this evening?"

"I promised to help a friend's daughter with her Korean learning tonight," he says. "Why don't you come along?" The offer is spontaneous and not thought out, but Jong Kook doesn't think Charity would mind the extra company. His recent glimpses of what appears to be her  _actual_  personality make him think she'd be nothing but warm and welcoming, especially to a fellow American out of her comfort zone.

Hannah wrinkles her nose. "Nah." She shakes her head. "Kids aren't really my thing." She reaches for her purse and holds up a hand before Jong Kook can say a word. "My treat tonight, Mr. Kim Jong Kook."

"Hannah --"

"Nope! Friends take turns!" She lays her hand over his on the table as she smiles chidingly at him and hops up to pay. He trails uselessly behind her, unable to mount a real protest in the face of her charming insistence. He does object, though inwardly, to her continual use of the word "friends."

Outside on the sidewalk, she points over to her BMW, again poorly parked against the curb. "I'm parked right there. Do you want a ride or is your manager coming for you? I have time to drop you off at home."

"A ride would be great. Can I drive?," he asks, already knowing the answer and beginning to mentally prepare himself for the journey.

"Nope!," Hannah chirps cheerfully as she beeps the car unlocked. "Hop in!"

Jong Kook looks up at the sky in a silent prayer before sliding himself into the passenger seat and finding something to grab on to.

They're back at the apartment in no time, half due to a lack of traffic and half due to Hannah's callous disregard for life and limb. She pulls up in front. Crookedly, Jong Kook notes with a small smile to himself.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?," he asks. "You can come back after your thing. We can work on your Korean, too."

"Uh uh," Hannah declines again. "Not my thing. But thank you for the offer!," she says sincerely.

She suddenly leans across the car and puts a hand on his cheek. He freezes in place, barely breathing as her face comes close to his.

"Mr. Kim Jong Kook," she says quietly. His eyes don't leave her mouth and he feels a flush creep up his neck as she continues. "I can't tell you how great it's been to have you here. I do like to do things for myself, but it helps just knowing you're around, you know?" She smiles at him, then leans forward further, sliding her arm around his shoulders in a tight hug. "Thank you. Really." 

He's still frozen in place as she pulls back to look at him, still leaning quite close. 

"N-n-no problem," he says, and immediately internally winces at his stammer. He looks at her mouth again, then up at her eyes. She's smiling at him, her face lit up in the same way that blinded him during their first airport meeting. He hesitates for a long moment, and then another. As the time stretches on, the growing awkwardness he feels makes him panic, and he turns to fumble with the door handle. "Th-thanks for the ride." Again. He scowls as he exits the car, his back to her. "And thanks for dinner," he says, finally turning back and leaning down to see her through the door.

"No problem! Let's do it again soon!" She waves to him, seemingly completely oblivious to his mental floundering. "See you!"

He takes his cue to shut the passenger door and watches her pull away and into traffic, kicking himself over and over at the missed opportunity. Her car has long vanished by the time he gathers himself enough to turn and head inside to Kwang Soo, Zoe, and Charity.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Yes, I went there with the chapter title and I hate myself for it. 2. How have you BEEN? 3. I think about this story ALL THE TIME. 4. Thanks for sticking around!


	33. Game Night

As he opens the door to Charity's apartment, Jong Kook feels like he's walking into a circus. Lights are flashing from the television and there's yelling in both English and Korean. Kicking off his shoes, he walks farther inside to take in the scene. Zoe is jumping on the couch, waving a video game controller with one hand and pointing triumphantly at Kwang Soo with the other. Kwang Soo is howling in Korean, statements of shock and disbelief, as he throws his own hands in the air. Jong Kook looks over his shoulder and sees Charity supervising the situation from the kitchen, a half grin on her face. He heads over toward her.

"They're playing Mario Kart," she explains. "Kwang Soo was not quite prepared for just how much practice Zoe has put into the game."

Kwang Soo has thrown himself on the floor at this point, while Zoe trounces up and down the couch in an apparent victory dance.

"They've been at it for a while," Charity continues. "He hasn't beaten her yet."

"Mr. Kim Jong Kook!," Zoe yells across the room. "Do you want to play with me now?"

He's about to decline, due to a general disinterest and lack of skill concerning video games, when Kwang Soo breaks in demanding a rematch. "Best four out of seven!," he exclaims, grabbing up his controller and pulling Zoe down to sit beside him on the couch again.

Charity chuckles quietly as Jong Kook turns back toward her. "Well, that settles that, I guess," he says.

"I'm just putting together dinner," Charity says. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I just had dinner with a friend."

"A giiiirl friend?," she asks teasingly and he flushes. She grins at his response. "How's that going?"

"Ehhh..." he says. "It's not, I don't think."

"Oh? She's not the one for you?"

"No, no, she is, but... "

"But?," Charity encourages as she moves around the kitchen, chopping vegetables and setting some chicken in a grill pan.

"But... she doesn't seem that into me."

"Hm," Charity responds and says nothing more.

Jong Kook is quiet for a moment before he continues. "Or maybe she is? I mean, she's always happy to see me."

"That's something," Charity agrees, arranging vegetables in bowls and flipping the chicken.

"Yeah," Jong Kook says. "And I think... I think I should have kissed her before I got out of the car, but I didn't know if she wanted me to."

"Well -- wait, you haven't kissed her? How many times have you been out with her now?"

"A few," Jong Kook says, defensive. "Not all of us jump into that kind of stuff," he jabs and immediately regrets it. Charity's lips quirk into a small smile but she doesn't object to his assessment. "Anyway," he goes on, "it just hasn't felt like the right thing to do."

Charity moves the chicken from the pan to a cutting board and begins slicing it, her eyes on what she's doing.

"But you  _want_  to kiss her, right?"

"No. Well, yes. I do. I think. I should, right?"

She raises a brow at him. "You should kiss her or you should want to kiss her?"

Jong Kook blows out a frustrated breath. "Both. Tonight I thought maybe the moment was there, but then it was over, and I hadn't done anything, and I'm wondering if she wanted me to, or she was waiting for me to."

"But you don't even know if  _you_  want to?"

"I... look, it's complicated."

"Isn't it always?," Charity agrees lightly. "Ok guys," she calls, a bit louder. "Take a break, it's time to eat."

Zoe tosses her controller to the couch and leaps up to barrel toward the kitchen. Kwang Soo takes the opportunity to zip past Zoe's stationary character and whoops loudly, crossing the finish line first and raising his arms in triumph before heading over to the kitchen.

"Finally beat her, hyung," he grins at Jong Kook as he takes his seat at the counter. Charity slides two plates of grilled chicken salad across the counter to Zoe and Kwang Soo, who dig in enthusiastically, and leans back against the stove to watch them eat.

"You're not eating?," ask Jong Kook.

"Nah," she replies. "I always eat too much while I'm cooking."

"Are you here to play with me, Mr. Kim Jong Kook?," Zoe interjects.

"I am," he replies to her in English. "We're going to work on your Korean, right?"

"Well, Mimi says -- " Zoe starts, but stops when Charity raises a single eyebrow. She changes course. "Can we play Twister? I have Twister! I bet we can play Twister in Korean, right, Mama?" She looks over to Charity for approval.

"That sounds like fun," her mother agrees.

"Then Twister it is, after you finish up your dinner and we do the dishes," says Jong Kook. Charity shakes her head and raises a hand, already loading the pans and utensils from cooking into the sink.

"You just go take a load off on the couch, I've got this."

He moves up beside her at the sink and pulls a towel out of the drawer. "Nah," he says. "I'll dry, it'll gone done faster and we can all play." She grimaces humorously as she passes him the dripping grill pan. "All of us." He jokingly elbows her in the side and she smiles.

"But I already know Korean," she faux-whines.

"Mine's pretty good, too," he replies, "but I'm playing."

Charity grimaces again but gamely starts in on the rest of the dishes and they finish quickly, with her wiping down the counters and Jong Kook giving the floor a quick sweep before all four head to the living room for game night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: I admit I started this chapter a couple of weeks ago and kept coming back to it and couldn't get the umph needed to continue it. So I've chopped it shorter than intended so I can move on to the next part with Jong Kook, Kwang Soo, and Charity. I'm posting this as is to jump right into the next chapter, but might fill it out further in the future, just for fun, so it's more like what I originally intended. Sorry for the long break. I had to get this piece out or stall forever, I think. See you again soon!


	34. Games After the Games

A couple of hours later, Jong Kook and Kwang Soo are pushing the couches back into place from where they'd been shoved aside to make room for some energetic Twister playing. They'd started with Kwang Soo spinning the wheel and calling out colors and appendages in Korean for Jong Kook and Zoe. It didn't take long before Zoe had nailed down her left and right, feet and hands, and all four colors in Korean. Being significantly more flexible than Jong Kook, Zoe had also picked up some expressions of triumph as well, as she was able to bend herself around him much more easily than he was able to make the moves himself. After a few rounds, they'd managed to coax Kwang Soo and Charity into a game with Zoe spinning and calling out the colors and body part placements. As Jong Kook suspected would be the case, Kwang Soo's long limbs gave him no real advantage over Charity's well-timed hip checks, and he was sent tumbling to the ground over and over, much to Zoe's amusement.

The two men are just finishing setting the living room back in order when Charity comes back down the stairs from her room where she'd been settling Zoe into bed. She heads into the kitchen where she grabs two beers and a bottle of water before heading back over to the living room. She hands Jong Kook the bottle of water before flopping down on the couch across from him, next to Kwang Soo. She cracks one of the beers and Kwang Soo holds out his hand expectantly.

She takes a sip from her beer and looks at him. "Oh, did you want one of these?," she asks cheekily, before cracking the second beer and taking a sip from that one, too.

"Hey!," Kwang Soo protests, and she grins, handing him one of the beers.

"You're the worst, Cherry," he grumbles.

"I know," she agrees, sipping her beer. "You guys are great, though. Thanks for spending a whole evening playing with Zoe. I think she had a great time."

Jong Kook waves a hand. "It's no bother. She's a lot of fun. Very sharp."

Kwang Soo agrees. "I really like her, Cherry."

"Mmm, me too," she says, and they lapse into companionable silence for a few moments.

"Charity," Kwang Soo says after a bit, "if you want to go out, I can..."

"Nah," she shakes her head. "I've got something I need to do here." She chugs the rest of her beer and Jong Kook's eyebrows go up. She notices. "Relax, I'm just having the one." She stands and takes the empty bottle to the kitchen, then heads to the balcony door and slides it open. There's a scraping sound, and muffled cursing, then she reappears, dragging a large cardboard box with her. Jong Kook jumps up and hurries over to help her.

"Thanks," she says, standing back as her pulls the box further in to the apartment. 

"No problem. Where do you want it? What _is_  it?"

"It's a gift for Zoe. I want to put it together while she's sleeping. I think... " She glances around the apartment. "I'm sorry to say this, but can we move the couches again? It's pretty big."

Kwang Soo finishes his own beer and stands up. The two of them slide the couches out of the way again and Jong Kook situations the box in the middle of the living room, where the Twister mat had been. Reaching into a side table, Charity pulls out a box cutter and slices the box down the sides, spilling out a pile of colorful pieces and a single sheet of instructions.

"Well," she says, surveying the disjointed mess of polls, plastic, and netting. "Crap."

"Crap," Kwang Soo agrees.

Jong Kook bends down to pick up the lone piece of paper, glancing over it. "Oh, it's a trampoline. Charity, you bought Zoe a trampoline? For in the house?"

She shrugs in response. "I want her to think it's fun to be here," she says simply.

Both Jong Kook and Kwang Soo look at her for a long moment. Kwang Soo speaks first.

"Cherry, Zoe's just going to be happy to be here with you. She was happy tonight."

"I know... I mean, I think so. But Miranda doesn't work, and she takes her all these places and spoils her rotten and feeds her pancakes all the time, and I know she's having a great time  _there_ , so... " She shrugs again, clearly a bit uncomfortable with her insecurity regarding her own daughter. "Anyway, you guys can go to bed. I can do this."

Jong Kook looks over the instructions again. "I think," he says slowly, "with the three of us, we can knock this out pretty quickly." He looks at Kwang Soo for confirmation, and he nods back, moving to Jong Kook's side to look over the instructions himself. 

"Oh, yeah, Cherry, we can all do this together."

"That's not necessary, really." She moves to Jong Kook's other side and peeks at the paper. "I think I can do this. And you guys have already given up so much of your night for Zoe and me, and I really appreciate it. Please get some rest."

"No," Jong Kook says firmly. "This won't take long, and we really don't mind at all."

"Not at all, Cherry," Kwang Soo agrees. "But I'm going to need another beer." He heads to the kitchen.

"Well, all right," she relents. "To tell the truth, I don't think I can do it." She grins at Jong Kook. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't even mention it. It looks like fun," he says, a bit dubiously.

Kwang Soo returns with his beer and Charity and Jong Kook settle onto the floor, separating the pieces into their various categories. Soon, the three of them have an easy system worked out for assembling each of the supports of the large toy, and the work moves smoothly, if not particularly quickly.

"So, Kim Jong Kook-ssi," Charity says suddenly. "I've been thinking about what we were talking about earlier." They're both focused on sliding netting over interlocked poles, looking down at their work. "So you think she wanted you to kiss her and you didn't go for it, or you weren't sure if she wanted you to kiss her, so you didn't go for it?"

"Hyung!" Kwang Soo exclaims. "You didn't go for it?"

Jong Kook glowers at the both of them. "No, I -- look, it was a very brief, complicated moment. It's hard to explain!"

"I don't know what's hard about it," Kwang Soo says, laying out the black fabric that will be the trampoline mat. "You either went for it or you didn't."

"I didn't," Jong Kook concedes. "But like I said, it was complicated."

"How so?," Charity asks. Her tone is neutral, not prying but interested.

"Well," Jong Kook starts. He hesitates, wondering how much he wants to talk about this with Charity. They're all here, though, and the snappish, biting Charity of just a few days ago doesn't seem to be in attendance. He mentally shrugs and decides to go for it, realizing that some clarity on the issue isn't going to be quick to come from his own mind. 

"Well," he starts again. "We've been out a few times, but it's never been especially romantic. More just getting to know you kind of stuff. And I really  _felt_  like I knew her, but the more time I spend with her, the less I feel like I know her."

"So, she's like two different people? The one you thought you knew, and the one who isn't like that at all?" Charity looks up at him.

"No, not like that. Not exactly. I don't think it would be fair to say that. It's like, when you first hit it off with someone, and you go home and think about them... " He searches for the words to express himself.

"Like how you can build someone up in your mind to be one way, but it turns out they're an actual real person who doesn't necessarily match up with that?," Charity supplies.

"Yes! Exactly that. And it's not like the person she really is is  _bad_  or unattractive. Just different than I expected."

Charity nods. "It's kind of like being pregnant." Kwang Soo snorts and she whacks him on the arm. "Seriously, it is! You're pregnant with this baby and you can't help imagining what your baby will be like, and you don't realize it, but you kind of develop this whole little personality for a person who isn't here yet. And then she arrives, and she's like a  _stranger_ , because she's not at  _all_  like you invented in your head. But the person she is is great, too. You just need time to get to know that person and come to terms with letting go of the person you thought you were getting."

"Pregnancy sounds weird and I never want to do it," Kwang Soo declares. He grabs a pillow from the couch and stuffs it under his shirt, parading around for a few moments and caressing his belly lovingly. The three disolve into laughter, metal poles clanging down in a pile.

Charity finally gathers herself and picks up the pieces she was working on. "Well, let's hope it never comes to that." 

"Anyway," Jong Kook says when they're all composed again. "It is a lot like that, you're right. And if she was the woman I'd... I guess  _invented_  is a good word there... I'd know how to proceed. But she's not and it's kind of thrown me. I don't really know what she wants."

"Just kiss her and see what happens, hyung," Kwang Soo says, knowing his hyung would do nothing of the sort.

"I guess I should, but... I've really only kissed women I was already dating, like in romantic situations. This is a little different. I feel like we still haven't crossed the line over into romantic and I don't know how to make that jump with her."

"Kiss her," Kwang Soo says again. "That would do it."

Charity rolls her eyes. "Or she'd pop him one, maybe. Look, women basically give off signals when they want you to kiss them."

"I know," Jong Kook says indignantly. "I  _have_  dated before."

"Okay," Charity says neutrally. "Was she giving off the signals?" She raises her eyebrows at him, waiting.

He stares back at her, pressing his lips together. "I don't know," he grudingly admits, finally.

The three of them are absorbed in their work for a few minutes as they work together to stretch the mat across the frame they've constructed. After it's secured in place, Charity ends up next to Jong Kook.

"Let's see," she says, placing a hand on his arm and dragging him over to the couch. "Sit here."

"We're not done yet," he protests.

She waves her hand. "We're almost done. We can take a minute." She pushes him down onto the center cushion and sits next to him, close.

"So there are some women, like myself, who are just going to come right out and say, 'hey, kiss me.' That's a pretty good situation for a guy, I think. And for a woman, really. Gets right to the point, gets shit done. But some women, I'd go so far as to say most, prefer for a guy to pick up on the fact that she wants to be kissed and go for it. Not aggressively and not against her will, which makes the whole thing pretty confusing."

"And unfair," Kwang Soo pipes in. "How are we supposed to just  _know_?"

"Well, the signals are pretty blatant, if she's angling for a kiss," Charity says. "And that's a bit helpful." She turns her body toward Jong Kook. He shifts a bit uncomfortably. "Calm down," she says. "This is for your benefit." She arranges herself on the couch. "First," she says, "She'll probably touch you."

"Oooh," Kwang Soo waggles his eyebrows and makes a big show of taking a front row seat, sitting crosslegged on the floor in front of the couch.

"Not like  _that_ ," Charity says, making Jong Kook wonder what exactly  _that_  is. "Something like this." She rests a hand lightly on his forearm. He's suddenly extremely aware of that particular three inches of space on his arm and looks down at the place of contact. "And she'll smile at you. Look at me," she demands, and he lifts his head. She puts on a big, cheesey grin and he laughs.

"Well, she didn't do  _that_ ," he says.

"That's kind of scary, Cherry," Kwang Soo says.

"Shut it you, I'm adorable. Anyway. No, it would probably be more like this." She calms her grin a bit. It looks softer but still a bit awkward on her usually neutral face. "Or she might not smile at all. Hard to say." She shrugs.

"Great," Jong Kook mutters. "So she'll smile, or not smile, and that's how I'll know to kiss her."

"Patience," Charity chides. "She'd also probably look right in your eyes, like this." She locks her eyes on his, and suddenly he can't look away. Her deep brown eyes penetrate into his own, and he looks right back. The room around them seems to fade away, Kwang Soo included, and he feels himself drawn toward the woman sitting next to him. He can feel her hand still on his arm, and feel matching heat spreading in his cheeks as the eye contact drags on. 

"And she won't look away," Charity continues, sounding a bit softer now, or maybe that's the light buzzing in Jong Kook's ears. "And if you slowly lean toward her - hey, slowly lean toward me, pretend I'm her." she commands, displaying that straightforward attitude she mentioned earlier. He does, shifting his face slightly closer to hers, so slowly it's almost imperceptible, trying to superimpose Hannah's green eyes over Charity's brown ones. "She won't move away. If she's not into it, she'll move away or break eye contact." 

He feels like he can barely hear here, still moving closer tiny bit by tiny bit. "If she's  _really_  into it, she'll move closer, too." Charity shifts on the couch, her thigh pressing against his own, another point of contact that tingles and hums. She starts to move herself, slowly shrinking the gap between their lips. 

Time seems to freeze, nothing moving around them, no sounds, just their locked eyes and her breath drifting across his face making up Jong Kook's whole universe for the moment. Alarm bells start up a distant clanging in the back of his mind, but he ignores them, pulled in and unable to back out even if he wanted to. Somewhere, dimly, he realizes he  _doesn't_  want to.

They're close now, too close, and their noses bump gently against each other. The corners of his lips turn up in a small, amused smile. He lifts a hand, barely aware he's even in control of his own limb, and rests it on her shoulder, then slides his hand to the back of her neck. He uses light pressure to close the gap the rest of the way, their lips almost,  _almost_  touching. He doesn't know when Hannah's light hair and green eyes slipped out of this scenario, but he knows they're gone and he knows who he's with and he doesn't care.

"Ahem. AHEM. Hey. HEY. HEY. YAH!" Kwang Soo leaps to his feet and Jong Kook and Charity spring apart, staring at each other wide-eyed before rapidly straightening themselves out on the couch and putting some distance between their bodies with quick movement.

"Ah. So. Anyway. That's how you know if a woman wants you to kiss her any questions didn't think so hey we're almost done let's get this thing up." She flings herself to the floor and focuses on the remaining parts of the trampoline, leaving Jong Kook frozen in place on the couch in her wake, Kwang Soo glaring between the both of them. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: Hey, check it out, for once I said "See you again soon!" and I actually meant it!
> 
> See you again soon!


	35. Ding Dong, the Witch Is...

Jong Kook awakes the next morning to a great cacophony from the main rooms of the apartment. Take a couple of moments to gather himself first, he heads out to the living room to see what the hell is going on.

Charity, as expect, is behind the island in the kitchen, working on breakfast. Her hair is up in its usual messy bun, no makeup, oversized shirt and ripped jeans. He glances at her to take all this in and then quickly away again, feeling just the briefest tinge of awkwardness left over from their near kiss the night before. Thinking back, though, the feeling quickly dissapates as he remembers how  _not_  awkward it had turned out to be.

They'd leapt apart at Kwang Soo's yell and both immediately flushed red. Charity had slid back down to the floor and busied herself with the trampoline parts while Jong Kook sat stunned, trying to figure out what had just happened. What had  _almost_  just happened. Kwang Soo was glowering at Jong Kook, his expression speaking a thousand admonishments and threats without uttering an actual word. A moment passed, then another, then Charity asked for help propping up a last piece of the nearly-completed trampoline. Glad for something, anything at all to do, Jong Kook slid himself down to the floor beside her and held the pole as she wrapped the padding around it. In just a minute or two, they were all back to working on the project for Zoe, with no further discussion of the incident. Oddly, though, it hadn't hung heavy between them. They didn't jump back every time their fingers brushed or carefully avoid each other's eyes. In fact, after the initial shock, everything was... Jong Kook had searched his mind for the word as he'd laid in bed, and finally settled on comfortable. Everything was comfortable. And fine. Everything was totally fine. More fine, really, than he'd have any right to expect, considering what had almost happened. There were no agreements to forget it had ever happened, or assurances that one or the other of them hadn't meant for it to happen. It happened, the moment passed, and everything was fine. And comfortable.

Looking away from Charity, Jong Kook now turns his attention to the awful racket, which happens to be Zoe in the trampoline, yelling, "BOING! BOING! BOING!" with each bounce. Right next to her is Kwang Soo, still in ratty pajama pants and an old t-shirt, bedhead flying around, also yelling, "BOING! BOING! BOING!" as they jump in tandem. Jong Kook watches them for a minute, still too close to waking up to fully take in what he's seeing. He decides to ignore it and heads to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Charity is already pushing a glass across the island as he reaches it, and he takes a seat across from her. "Yo, Kim Jong Kook," she says. "Sleep well? I'm making breakfast. You'll never guess what we're having."

"Eggs?," he asks, draining his cup and swiveling on the barstool to watch the circus in the living room.

"Got it in one," she replies. "You hungry? Time to eat?"

"You know I can't resist your...  _eggs_ ," he says jokingly, and she snorts in response. "What're you up to today?"

"Spending the day with Zoe, you?"

"MR. KIM! JONG! KOOK!," Zoe shouts, punctuating each bounce. "WE'RE GOING! TO! DIBO! VILLAGE! WOULD YOU! LIKE! TO COME!"

Jong Kook laughs, his head bobbing up and down as he follows her movements. "Ah, no thank you, Zoe, I have a full schedule today, but I hope you have a great time." He watches as Kwang Soo comes dangerously close to brushing the ceiling with his head, but shows no signs of stopping his bouncing as long as Zoe is still going. Perhaps the competition between the two has not yet burned out.

Jong Kook turns back to the counter. "So you've got Zoe to yourself today?"

"Mmhm," Charity nods as she pushes bacon and eggs onto three plates and sets them in front of the stools. She bellows, "KIDS! FOOD!" with a tone that indicates it's not an uncommon occurrence for her. 

"Ah, you must be looking forward to that, then," Jong Kook says, sliding a protective arm around his plate as Kwang Soo and Zoe clamber into place. The two descend upon their eggs like they've just run a marathon. Charity smiles indulgently at them, looking for all the world like a proud mother supervising her pack of small children.

"I am," she agrees. 

"No Miranda?," Jong Kook clarifies.

"Nope." Charity shakes her head and grabs the pan of leftover eggs and a fork, not bothering with a plate, and leans against Jong Kook's end of the counter. "By the court order, we are technically on Miranda's time, but also by the court order, she's not to impede or interfere with any time I want to spend with Zoe during her time. If I was still in the States, in theory, I could pick Zoe up to hang out every single day and she couldn't say boo about it."

"Does the same apply to Miranda once Zoe is back on  _your_  time?" Jong Kook finds the arrangement kind of fascinating, in a sympathetic way. 

"Nope!" Charity smiles. "My decisions as her mother will always trump anything else going forward. Miranda lobbied for this period as a 'transitional time,' since Zoe lost her father and would be moving to Korea in short order, and convinced the judge it would be in Zoe's best interest to handle these changes slowly. I was shocked that the judge went along with it, to be honest, but it's not forever."

"From the things Zoe has said, it seems like Miranda plans for it to be forever, though."

"Miranda can talk until her wrinkly old tits fall off out of pure weariness of having to listen to her."

Just as Jong Kook almost inhales a bite of his eggs in response, the doorbell rings. "I'll get it!," yells Zoe, hopping down from her stool. 

Charity lifts her head as Zoe bounds over to poke the buttons on the screen near the door. "I'm not expecting anyone... are either of you?" Kwang Soo and Jong Kook both shake their heads.

"It's Mimi!," Zoe cheers and quickly presses the button to let her in.

"What the... " Charity's face immediately settles into a frown of displeasure.

"I thought you were supposed to have her alone today, Cherry." Kwang Soo says.

"I am," Charity replies, her jaw set as she walks over to the front door. A moment later, she opens it to let Miranda in and marches back over to the kitchen without greeting her. "Zoe, finish your breakfast, please." Zoe gets back on her stool after giving Miranda a hug and Miranda follows her over to the kitchen, her gaze narrowing in on the two men seated there. She doesn't give them so much as a nod, her arms crossed across her chest, as she steps close to Charity. Jong Kook stiffens slightly as Miranda gets into Charity's comfort zone, immediately setting her off balance.

"Miranda," Charity says finally, turning to place the pan in the sink. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to spend time with Zoe, of course," Miranda replies, as if it was obvious.

"But I don't have to work today, so... " Charity trails off.

Miranda runs a finger over the countertop then lifts it to examine for dirt. "That's fine. Zoe and I will be happy to spend the day with you, won't we, Zoe?"

Kwang Soo looks back and forth between the two women, his jaw slightly dropped.

"But..." Charity starts again, her own jaw slightly dropped as well.

"Well, you understand, Charity," Miranda says, with condescension dripping from her tone. Jong Kook sets down his fork and lifts his glass to take a drink, watching Miranda and Charity over the rim. "It's just that Zoe is technically in  _my_  custody right now, so I really wouldn't feel right if I wasn't overseeing her care." Charity's eyes briefly flash rage, then sadness and resignation.

"Well," she says, "I guess --" She whips her head around at the sound of Jong Kook's glass slamming back onto the counter.

"Miranda," he says, interrupting whatever Charity had been about to say, "doesn't the same agreement that grants you custody  _for now_ " -- he puts special emphasis on the two words -- "also say that you're not to interfere with any time Charity wants to spend with her daughter?"

Jong Kook is almost taken aback at the look of pure hatred Miranda sends his way before she quickly schools her face in front of Zoe. She rolls her eyes. "I don't think we need your input here, Mr. Kim Whatever." She turns back to Charity and opens her mouth to speak, but is interrupted by Jong Kook breaking in again.

"It's not  _my_  input, it's the court. Isn't that what the agreement says, Miranda?"

Charity chews on her lip, glancing back and forth between the two. "Really, it's --"

Jong Kook holds up a hand but doesn't look at her, his eyes fixed on Miranda. "Don't say it's okay, Charity, because it's not. If I'm recalling what you told me correctly, Miranda wasn't supposed to be here in Korea at all, correct? So just by inserting her presence into your visit with Zoe at all, isn't she  _already_  interfering?" Jong Kook takes a risk, not really understanding how American courts or custody arrangements work. "So if she's breaking the agreement, doesn't that void the agreement all together? Wouldn't it be fair to say, then, if she wasn't going to stick to the terms of the agreement, the agreement should be off? And Zoe should just stay here with  _us_ " -- again, he emphasizes the word to watch Miranda's eyes burn with fury -- "instead of going back to the States with Miranda at all?"

"Well," Charity says, a little more strength in her voice, her eyes telegraphing nothing but gratefulness to Jong Kook, "technically, that's pretty true. Though of course, being an agreeable sort --" Miranda snorts at this but Charity continues. " -- I wouldn't go so far as to cancel the rest of Zoe's time with you, provided you can stick to the agreement." She doesn't sound as confident as Jong Kook knows she wants to, but she's trying.

Miranda is silent and the air in the apartment is icy with tension. Kwang Soo shifts uncomfortable and Zoe continues digging away at her pile of bacon, completely oblivious to the showdown going on between three quarters of the adults.

Finally, Miranda speaks. "I'll be at my hotel." She wheels around on her heel and marches out of the apartment without so much as a goodbye to Zoe.

Charity lets out a huge breath and runs shaking hands through her hair before grabbing on to the edge of the counter and bracing herself against it. "Zoe," she says, "if you're done, why don't you go upstairs and brush your teeth and get ready?"

"All right," Zoe agrees amiably, pushing her plate across the counter and scooting away. As she leaves, Charity just stares at Jong Kook, saying nothing.

"Did I overstep?," he asks blandly, knowing full well he probably did and not giving half a rat's ass about it.

Charity exhales again, shaking her head and gathering up the plates. "That was... " She shakes her head again. "Why can't  _I_  say any of that stuff when she's here? I'd probably think of those exact things lying in bed tonight after bending over and taking it up the ass from her yet again."

Jong Kook picks up his glass again and takes a sip to hide his pleased grin. After his initial screw up with Charity and Miranda, he'd resolved to throw himself up between the two whenever he could, and not only did it seem to be working, but Charity actually appreciated it. It's only been a few days but it seems to him he's zooming away from their strained and unpleasant initial interactions, both in his mind and possibly her own. 

"Cherry," Kwang Soo finally finds his voice. "It may be just me, and I might be out of line, but... doesn't it seem like Miranda's goal is to make your life difficult?" Charity raises a brow. "I mean," he hurries on, "I'm sure she loves Zoe and loves spending time with her, but it looks like it's no small bonus that she's sticking it to you whenever she can."

"I've kind of suspected as much myself," she admits slowly, "but of course don't want to believe she'd use Zoe like a pawn like that."

"I think Kwang Soo is on to something," Jong Kook says. "She just  _really_  does not like you. She makes everything as difficult for you as she can, she's nothing but rude to you, walks all over you, and seems to go out of her way to demonstrate the fact that she can. On top of that, she's obviously been telling Zoe that she's not going to be living in Korea with you, and must have said some other stuff we don't know, because Zoe doesn't seem too bothered by the idea of not moving to Korea to be with you."

Charity's face falls. "I can't argue with any of that."

"She's awful, Cherry," Kwang Soo says sympathetically.

"More importantly than what a witch she is," Jong Kook says, "is knowing if any of this is possible.  _Can_  she keep Zoe? Is there any chance of that at all?"

"I don't... I don't  _think_  so," Charity says. "I mean, she can drag me back to court, I suppose, but that seems unlikely, as does any victory in her favor. I'd probably have to go back to the States if she decided to kick up a fuss, though. She wouldn't. She _couldn't._  ... Right?"

"Well," Jong Kook says, "you know her better than I do, but... it doesn't seem all that unlikely to me. I mean, she showed up here to wreck your day. She  _flew to Korea_  to disrupt your life. I don't know much about her, but where you're concerned, Charity, I don't think I'd put too much past that woman."

Charity sighs and covers her face with her hands.

"She won't," Jong Kook says firmly. "We won't let her."

"Yeah, Cherry," Kwang Soo agrees. "We won't let her. Hyung, tell Cherry how we're going to stop her."

Jong Kook laughs at Kwang Soo's genuine, if somewhat aimless enthusiasm. "I don't know, Kwang Soo. But you don't have to deal with this bullshit alone, Charity." He hesitates a moment, then reaches out and sets his hand on hers where she's placed it on the counter. They both glance down at the connection, but neither pulls away. 

Kwang Soo glances back and forth between the two of them, narrowing his eyes slightly at Jong Kook before leaning his entire long body over the counter to drop his hand on top of the pile. "GO TEAM! FIGHTING!" He throws his hands in the air and tips backward off the stool, bringing a welcome break to the tension still vibrating through the air.


	36. Hesitation

The next few days are remarkably similar for Jong Kook. He wakes up in the morning and comes out of his room in Charity's apartment to find Zoe and Kwang Soo, or just Zoe, or just Kwang Soo, jumping on the trampoline. Charity is always in the kitchen, putting together breakfast for everyone, and a portion is always ready for him, too. Miranda shows up, or doesn't show up, and Jong Kook does his level best to make her uncomfortable until she leaves. Charity's taken the last few days of Zoe's visit off work, so after breakfast, they all go their separate ways. Charity and Zoe off to explore or play somewhere, Jong Kook and Kwang Soo heading out to fulfill various filming, interview, meeting, and other responsibilities. At night, they all come in at different times, but if Kwang Soo or Jong Kook misses dinner, a note is left on the counter directing them to a plate prepared for them in the fridge, just needing reheating. If one or both of them is home early enough, they play with Zoe or hang out on the couches with Charity, watching television and chatting until finally one or two or all three of them give in and finally head to bed.

It's after a few days of this, the day before Zoe's last day, that Jong Kook finally finds a minute to sit down and text Hannah. It's not that he hasn't thought about her in the meantime, it's just that he's been busy. Thinking about it now, he has to admit to himself that a lot of the time he hasn't been  _busy-_ busy, but more just enjoying spending time hanging out with Kwang Soo and Charity, as the three of them have fallen into a comfortable routine, and he finds himself looking forward to unwinding at the end of the day with one or both of them, whoever happens to be around. The living situation at Charity's is weird, and he knows that, but it doesn't seem to be bothering anyone. The three of them have formed a happy little triad, talking and debating late into the evenings. Kwang Soo is always good company, and Charity's mood is clearly colored toward the positive with the presence of her daughter. 

Another thing Jong Kook finds he has to admit to himself is that he's kind of waiting for something. He's been waiting for Hannah to text _him_ , to check in, to ask what's up. He knows she's also very busy and has a lot on her plate, but no small part of him was curious about when she'd reach out, if he didn't. A little more reluctantly, he understands that something Charity had asked him had kind of stuck with him, when she asked him if he  _wanted_  to kiss Hannah, or he wanted to  _want_  to kiss Hannah. Even now, with a few spare minutes to himself and his phone in his hand, he's not sure. He's not only been waiting for Hannah to reach out to him, but also for the moment that he clearly  _wanted_  to reach out to her. He's been forcing himself to think of her outside the soulmate concept, and instead just as a woman he's interested in getting to know better and dating. He sits now, thinking over their encounters, what he knows about her, what he likes about her.

She's pretty, there's no doubt about that. She's bright and friendly and nice to everyone she meets, something Jong Kook appreciates. She's very driven in her career, and they have that in common. She's obviously quite smart and she knows what she wants out of life. All admirable qualities. He really can't think of anything he  _doesn't_  like about Hannah. 

But still... something is bothering him. He knows that any of these nights he's spent goofing off with Kwang Soo in Charity's apartment, he could have picked up his phone and texted her. Hell, while his schedule is pretty packed, there's always a moment or two here and there to check in. If he  _wanted_  to. He realizes now that it's not that he  _doesn't_  want to, it's more that it just isn't occurring to him in the moment. He thinks back to the airport, to the cup that hit him in the knee, and the hand that grabbed the cup at the same time as him. The sickening, zooming feeling of meeting Hannah's green eyes for the first time and realizing, this is her. This is it. The butterflies that sucked up every spare inch of space in his stomach when he went to her apartment the first time, and the heady, giddy feeling of getting to know her over lunch and frozen yogurt. How pleased he was when he found her to be so comfortable in his gym, in his space, and how confident he felt moving forward with her. Now, though. Now, it's harder to recapture that feeling. He can still feel some excitement at the  _idea_  of a soulmate, his soulmate, but the idea of texting Hannah right now isn't making him jumpy or nervous. No fluttering. He knows this is because of the impossible ideal of Hannah he built up in his head and the confrontation between that and who she actually is. It's not that the real Hannah is anything less than wonderful. It's again, like Charity said, something he needs some time to come to terms with. Not something that's going to ruin everything.

He laughs softly under his breath as he flips his phone around and around in his hand idly, amused at how Charity has gone from someone who was completely not on his radar at all to someone who has such insightful input into what is inarguably the biggest thing to happen in his life so far. She's helpful in an easy way. She doesn't push him, but inserts a seemingly innocent question or comment here and there that he finds himself digging into hours or even days later, turning it over in his mind and using it as a tool to uncover the realities under his own confused thoughts. She's got a way of cutting through the bullshit that isn't necessarily aggressive at the time, but concise and pointed nonetheless. And then, after delivering one of these lines, she slips right back into mothering them all, heckling Kwang Soo, and making sure everyone is getting where they need to go, when they need to be there. She's unobtrusive but always there, appearing at Ji Hyo's elbow with some needed item and managing to drop a reminder over her shoulder to Kwang Soo about some event he wants to attend, or to slip a snack to Jong Kook when she sees his energy is flagging. He's noticed she does the same with the rest of the cast and even the staff. He winces a bit, knowing she's likely been this way all along, slipping in and out around them, helping then vanishing again, and in his excitement over Hannah, he'd completely missed it all. He's glad, though, that they're friends now, and he can't help idly wishing she was here now, to bounce his inconclusive feelings off of her, though he internally cringes at what the straightforward, no nonsense woman would have to say about the idea of fortune tellers and soulmates.

He looks down at his phone and pulls up his recent messages from Hannah. Nothing new. He looks at the time and tries to figure out what she might be doing now, if she's busy, if it's a good time to check in on her, and realizes he has no idea. He sets his phone down on the table in front of him and pulls out his wallet, sliding his fingers into a small pocket and pulling out two pieces of paper. One is the well-worn slip where Hannah had written her email address for him. He hasn't used it again after those initial emails and briefly considers dropping her a line that way instead, to give himself more time to think of what to say, how to move this relationship forward. Then he looks at the other small paper and turns it over in his hands. The card Kwang Soo gave him the night Haha announced his engagement, the fortune teller's address and phone number. Almost before he knows what he's doing, he finds himself keying in the number. Before hitting send, he stands and moves to a quiet corner of the room. He dials.

She answers almost immediately. "Hello?"

"Hello. This is Kim Jong Kook."

"Ah, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. We need to talk, don't we?"

"We do?"

"I think you know we do."

"Do you have a moment right now?"

"No, you come here tonight. I'll see you this evening."

Before he can respond, she's disconnected. He looks down at the phone in his hand to check. Yes, she really hung up. He sighs and pulls up Hannah's messages again. It's been a few days, so a few more hours certainly won't hurt. He decides to contact her after he's talked to Ji Min.

* * *

Several hours later, Jong Kook finds himself pulling up outside the low house well past the city limits. He'd made a brief stop at Charity's apartment after messaging her to see if it was possible to use his car, not wanting to get dragged in to visits and questions by heading to his own home for his own car. When he'd popped into the apartment, she'd tossed the keys to him and given him a wave, in the middle of carrying a massive pile of snacks over to a well-constructed blanket fort taking up the entirety of the living area. With a quick wave to each other, he was gone and on his way.

Now that he's here, he doesn't waste any time with hesitation about whether or not he should go in, like he had in the past. He gets right out and heads for the door, which swings open as he steps onto the stoop. Ji Min stands back to allow him to enter, then he silently follows her down the hall, like he has so many times before. Instead of heading into the dark, hazy room, though, she leads him into another small room with two comfortable couches and they sit down across from each other.

She looks at him expectantly. He looks right back.

"Well," she says finally. "You haven't fulfilled the condition." She doesn't look pleased.

Jong Kook sighs. "It just... there hasn't been the right moment for it."

"You know, none of this will work if you don't fulfill the condition. You  _must_  tell her what you did, or you will not make the permanent connection I promised you."

"I know, I just... " He sighs again. "Is that why nothing feels quite right? I mean, she's great, she really is, but it feels like there's something missing."

"Well, yes," Ji Min replies. "You've taken the initial action to bring her to you, but that won't be cemented until the deal is complete. You know that not all soulmates end up together. If you can't do what's required of you, you just won't end up together. It won't work. Whether that's because she decides she doesn't want to be with you, or moves somewhere else in the world, or her life just takes her a different direction, that's left to be seen. But you will  _not_  end up with her if the entire process is not completed."

"So, in theory..." Jong Kook says slowly, "I could still opt out of this entire thing."

Ji Min's eyebrows go up, then her eyes narrow. "In theory, yes." She looks him over carefully. "But you wouldn't be considering something like that, would you?"

"No. No, of course not. I'll do it. I just didn't realize it was going to be such a  _thing_  when I agreed to it. That's all."

"That's all? No. There's more, right?," she asks.

"Don't you already know?"

"I do," she agrees, "but thought you might like to talk through it."

Jong Kook looks up at the ceiling for a long moment, then back at the fortune teller, who is curled up on the couch across from him with her legs pulled up under a long, voluminous skirt. He idly notes that outside of all the woo woo, she seems much younger than he first thought.

"Well," he starts, then hesitates, realizing he's still working this over in the back of his mind. "There's sort of a complication, but not really."

"Another woman," Ji Min prods him.

"So you do know."

"I do," she nods.

Jong Kook decides to just let words spill out and see where they go. "It's not another woman, not really, except it is. I'm not in  _love_  with another woman or anything like that. It's just a friend. Just someone who has popped up recently."

Ji Min nods again, but stays silent, allowing him to take his time as the thoughts occur to him.

"I'm not in love with her or anything," he repeats. "I wouldn't even say it's anything special. Just a friend." He thinks. "I've just been spending a lot of time around her, with another of my friends. And it's just so easy. I mean, it wasn't at first. We had this whole weird thing going on at first." He winces a bit, thinking about it, but firmly puts it out of his mind, as Charity had instructed him before. "But now, it is. Easy, I mean. She's easy to be around and easy to talk to. And it's just... easy." He sighs at his own inarticulate stumblings. "I like being around her, but it's not like I pine for her when I'm  _not_  around her. It's not her that's bothering me, it's kind of... what she represents, almost. I guess I thought when I met my soulmate, it would be easy like that. That we would be comfortable and natural with each other. But with Hannah - that's the girl, by the way, Hannah - it's not that it's  _not_  easy. It's just lacking a certain quality. Being with my friend, this other woman, feels comfortable and homey. Being with Hannah feels... neutral. That's the best word, I guess. Just neutral."

"Well," Ji Min says, "there's a difference between friendships and romantic relationships. You can't expect them to be the same."

"No, I know that, but... I guess I don't really know what I mean."

"Is there more that you're not sharing?" Ji Min quirks a brow.

He knows that she knows there is.

"You know," he grumbles, "having a conversation with a fortune teller is kind of a bit lopsided, don't you think?"

She laughs lightly. "Go on, though."

"So, a few nights ago." Jong Kook looks at the ceiling again as he pulls up yet another memory he's firmly set aside. "My friend was giving me some dating advice, about Hannah. There had been a moment between Hannah and I where I thought maybe I should kiss her -- "

"Kissing your soulmate is never  _wrong_ ," Ji Min breaks in.

"-- but I didn't," he finishes. "And when I thought back on it right after we split up for the night, I just wasn't sure if I should have, if I'd missed a key moment, or if I would have messed things up."

"You can't mess things up by kissing your soulmate," Ji Min insists again.

"Is that true, though? I mean, is that just something that you're saying, that yeah, of course I should kiss my soulmate, or are you guaranteeing that I won't mess this deal up if I kiss her at the wrong moment?"

"Does it really matter which?," she asks airily.

"Yes, it matters!," he exclaims, frustration leaking into his voice. 

"It doesn't," she disagrees blandly, "but go on."

"Ok, so my friend was kind of showing me how to know when it was okay to kiss a girl. The thing is, I basically know all that stuff. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a different question in my head. Not, 'does she want me to kiss her right now?,' but rather, 'do I want to kiss her right now?' And I was sitting on the couch with my friend, and she was demonstrating, pretending to be Hannah, and I knew. Yes. Yes, I did want to kiss her."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I knew it  _then_. Right then. I wanted to kiss her right then, I really did. It was a very clear feeling, I didn't have to question myself for the answer like I did earlier when I was with Hannah."

"And?"

"I  _wasn't_  with Hannah."

"Oooohhhh," Ji Min nods knowingly. "You knew you wanted to kiss her, you were certain. But it was a different her."

"Right." He runs his hands over his face and blows out a breath. "Afterward, though, I mean the next day, it was pretty much like it didn't happen. Again, not in love with her, nothing more than friends, and the moment was fleeting and over with. But I've just been thinking... no matter who it was or what the situation, is that even possible? I mean, to so clearly want to kiss someone, even for a moment, who  _isn't_  Hannah? Why don't I feel so clearly toward Hannah as I did in that little moment toward my friend?"

"You said she was pretending to  _be_  Hannah, though."

"She was, but in the back of my mind, or maybe even in the front of my mind, I knew who I was with."

"Well. I guess I can see your trouble, even though this all seems incredibly straightforward to me."

"It comes back to the condition, right?"

"Right," she replies. "Nothing is going to click into place just right until you go forward with the agreement."

"But if I can feel that way about another woman, any other woman, even just for a second, how do I know I  _want_  to go forward with the agreement?"

"First of all," she says, a bit of harshness slipping into her tone, "you signed on the line. You must fulfill your end of the deal." She quickly softens her tone again. "Second of all, do you remember what we talked about the second time you came to visit me? You've got one soulmate. One. Other women will pass in and out of your life in various ways at various times. But your soulmate is it for you. If you meet some other woman or even just have some feeling of uncertainty that causes you to miss this chance, you will not get another. I'm not saying you'll never date, or even that you'll never fall in love. But I know you've talked to Ha Dong Hoon and Ms. Go Eun about soulmates. You have one. You have one chance at what they have. You can, of course,  _choose_  to give that up and take your chances with whatever comes along the rest of your life. I'm not going to lie, you might end up with some great experiences, some things you'd never trade away once you've experienced them, even if they're not as permanent and perfect as your one true soulmate would be for you. As much as it goes against everything my family does for me to say so, you can still just... not follow through. You'd be giving up a lot. An impossible amount to comprehend.That is up to you."

"So I tell her what I did -- "

" _Before_  she finds out on her own," Ji Min breaks in and Jong Kook waves a hand, dismissing the idea.

"So I tell her what I did and I'll get what Haha and Byul have, right? All of this will, whatever you said, click into place from that point on?"

"Yes," she looks directly at him as she speaks. "I realize that going into this, you didn't know that you'd end up making such a leap of faith. Or probably thought you'd already made it when you signed on the line."

"You knew there would be another woman, though. You knew that's what I wanted to talk about when I came here tonight."

"I knew there'd be complications. Do you think uprooting someone's whole fate to crash it into your own is simple?"

"No, of course not," he says, though he actually thinks the idea still sounds ridiculous and impossible, let alone not  _simple_. "I just thought that when it was done, it was done."

"Right. Simple. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. It  _is_  going to take a leap of faith on your end. I know you're not seeing what you  _thought_  you'd see from your soulmate right now, but the bargain is still incomplete. You complete it, and you're done. Everything will be fine. You will get what you always wanted. You hesitate, miss the moment, or simply just  _don't_  do it, and you're taking your chances with what comes next. While it seems very apparent to  _me_  which way you should go, I understand your hesitation."

Jong Kook stands suddenly, and she uncurls herself from the couch and stands as well. "So I should just tell her the next time I see her. Rip the bandaid off."

"Right. It doesn't matter  _how_  you tell her, just that you do."

"Even if it's the wrong moment, even if I sound crazy, even if she gets mad, it doesn't matter?"

"It doesn't. You just have to get it out there. Once it's done, it's done. Carefully, perfectly, or totally inelegantly. She can't  _unknow_  it once you say it, no matter how fantastical it may sound coming out of your mouth."

Jong Kook fondles his phone in his pocket, steeling himself with new resolve. 

"All right," he nods firmly. "I want everything you've promised. I want to do this. I want to get over this weird hump and just get  _on_  with everything."

"Then you know what you need to do," she says as she leads him back down the hall to the front door, pulling it open to let him out.

"I'll be in touch," he calls over his shoulder, already pulling out his phone and thumbing into his conversation with Hannah.

He hears a light chuckle as the door closes behind him. 

"I don't think you will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a Hannah chapter! (As I am sure you could surmise.)
> 
> See you again soon!


	37. Let's Do This

_**kjk76:** Hey, Hannah, you busy?_

_**HannahBanana799476:** Study, study. _

_**kjk76:** Oh. I was hoping to talk to you._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  I can take a quick break. What's up?_

_**kjk76:**  It's probably something we should discuss in person._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Well, that sounds ominous! Did I do something wrong?_

_**kjk76:**  Not at all. I just have something I want to tell you._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Okay... I have to say I can't imagine what you'd have to tell me that you can't tell me over text, though._

Jong Kook blows out a breath and lifts his hat to run a hand over his hair. He leans his forearms against the steering wheel and looks at his phone, thinking.

**_kjk76:_ ** _I'm just an in person kind of guy, I guess. Technology has never agreed with me._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Understandable. Unfortunately, not available this evening._

Jong Kook switches his phone between hands, alternately wiping each of his suddenly sweaty palms on his shorts. He had walked out of the fortune teller's house with such resolve, intending to carry right through with the plan of coming clean with Hannah. Adrenaline and determination had driven him to text her immediately. Only when she says she's not available right that second does he notice his racing heart and a creeping sense of relief.

**_kjk76:_ ** _Not a problem. Do you have any time tomorrow? I'll come to you._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Not really... my schedule is pretty packed and when I don't have work or class, I've got errands to do._

_**kjk76:**  Would you like company on your errands?_

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Good idea! I do enjoy your company, Mr. Kim Jong Kook. Grocery shopping tomorrow afternoon?_

_**kjk76:**  Yes. Sure. That sounds good._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  And you're sure this is nothing I need to be worrying about, right? I've kind of got a lot going on right now..._

_**kjk76:**  Not at all. Don't even think about it. I just want to talk._

_**HannahBanana799476:**  Putting it out of my head right... now! See you tomorrow, Mr. Kim Jong Kook!_

He lets out a slightly shaky breath. Reprieve. Time to think up exactly what he wants to say and how he's going to say it. He turns the car on and heads back in the direction of Seoul, so lost in thought that by the time he pulls into the garage underneath Charity's apartment building, he can barely remember driving there at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you say, y'all? Straight through to the end from here? It's all going to start rolling downhill now.
> 
> See you again soon! (Tomorrow! Pinky promise.)


	38. Crash 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a short update before this one if you didn't see it. I don't know how many chapters I'll get out tonight but I intend on barreling through to the end now, so check for double updates.

Jong Kook lets himself in to Charity's apartment, kicking his shoes off into a cubby by the door. Walking in to the dimmed living room, he tosses his bag onto the couch, only vaguely noting how at home he feels here now. 

"Kwang Soo?," he calls out, but gets no answer. "Charity?," he tries again. No response. The apartment is silent. It's a bit late for Charity to be out with Zoe and he winces, realizing the two of them are probably asleep in the bedroom upstairs. Hoping he didn't disturb them, he heads into the kitchen for a quick glass of water before grabbing his bag and heading to his room. 

In the silence, he's left with nothing to do but sleep or think about tomorrow's grocery expedition with Hannah. On a whim, he rummages through his things to pull out a tank top and gym shorts, deciding a quick, intense workout is a better option than either of those two. Too wound up to sleep, too wound up to think clearly about what he's going to say the next day, he changes quickly and lets himself back out of the apartment to head to the small private gym for those living in the exclusive upper levels of the high rise apartment building.

As he approaches the glass-walled room, he's surprised to see the lights are on. It's almost always empty at any time of the day - the people living in this building probably have personal trainers or are spending entirely too much time at work to even consider visiting the gym in the few spare hours they might have each day. As he gets closer, he hears a rythmic pounding punctuated by loud gasps. He hastens his steps and pushes the door open, jaw dropped in shock to see Charity running flat out on the treadmill. Not jogging, running. Running hard. He's frozen as he takes in the scene before him. She's clearly been at it a while, her body soaked with sweat, loose t-shirt clinging to her body. Her breathing is beyond labored, great choking breaths making her chest heave. Her feet look heavy, barely lifting off the belt with each step. 

He's jolted from his reverie as Charity's knees wobble once, then twice. He leaps forward in an instant as she stumbles, positioning himself behind the treadmill just in time to catch her as her body flies backward due to the punishing speed of the belt. The two crash to the floor in a heap.

"Charity!," he says, gripping a hand onto her shoulder. "Charity!" He shakes her lightly, trying to elicit a response, but she can't catch her breath. "Charity, what are you  _doing?,"_ he says, mostly to himself, as he gently rolls her off his chest. She sprawls on her back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, chest rising and falling rapidly. Her face is flushed and glistening with sweat. He keeps an eye on her as he stands and moves to turn off the treadmill, shaking his head as he notes the speed and incline at which it had been set. Grabbing a waterbottle from the holder on the treadmill, he turns back to where Charity is shakily pulling herself up to lean against the wall. He offers her the bottle and she takes it, nodding gratefully to him before draining half of it.

"Slow down," he cautions, "or that's all going to come right back up."

She nods and replaces the cap on the bottle, swallowing hard and trying to measure her breathing.

Jong Kook leans against the now silent treadmill, looking down at her, waiting.

After a moment, she says, "Hey. What's up?" Her voice is thin and still a bit breathless.

He grins and snorts. "What's up? I was just coming to the gym for a quick, relaxing workout before bed and ended up having to perform a dramatic rescue mission. You know, same old, same old. What's up with you?"

She laughs lightly. "Oh, you know. Just getting a workout in, like I do. Same old, same old."

Jong Kook rolls his eyes and gestures to her bottle of water. She unscrews the top and takes another long gulp.

"Slowly," he reminds her. "I got in a couple of minutes ago and thought you were sleeping upstairs with Zoe."

Charity shakes her head, expression darkening. "She's not there."

"What? Why?"

Charity sighs deeply. "Her flight  _somehow_  got moved to early tomorrow morning instead of tomorrow evening, so she's staying with Miranda so they can get to the airport on time."

Jong Kook's eyes narrow. "' _Somehow_ ' got moved, you say?" He clenches his jaw. "Why do I feel like this wasn't a simple oversight?"

Charity shrugs, taking another sip and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I don't know, maybe it was."

"But you were supposed to have tomorrow with Zoe, too."

Charity shrugs again, swallowing hard and averting her eyes from Jong Kook's.

"Shit," he says. "Shit!" He thumps his fist on the treadmill in sudden anger. "I'm sorry, Charity. If I was here when Miranda was here, I could have --- "

She cuts him off with a wave of her hand. "No, no, you couldn't have. And this - none of this - is your  _job_ , you know."

"No, it's not a job, it's -- we're friends, Charity. Friends help each other out. Miranda is just -- " He lets out a wordless, frustrated grunt and pounds his fist again.

"She is, isn't she?" Charity moves to stand and wobbles on unsteady legs. Jong Kook shoots out a hand to catch her at the elbow, holding fast until she finds her balance.

"So...," he starts. "This is... what you do when you're upset?"

"Nooooo," she draws out the word. "This is  _not_  what I  _do_. But I couldn't find my phone, so." She shrugs and lets him fill in the blanks on his own, her lips quirking up a bit as his cheeks color faintly. "Speaking of," she says, stepping away from his grip, "can you do me a favor and call my phone in a couple minutes? I'm sure it's in the apartment somewhere. Zoe was playing on it. I'm going to head back and hop in the shower."

"Can do," he nods, sliding his own phone out of his pocket. "You sure you're all right to get back there?"

She stretches experimentally and winces. Jong Kook stands at the ready to grab her should she wobble again, but she takes a couple of steps and nods. "Yep. I'm fine. And thank you."

"Not a problem," he says. "I'm here for you, Charity. Against Miranda. Against treadmills. Against birds."

"Haaaa," she replies sardonically. "You are coming in pretty handy these days, I have to admit. Heading back. I'll probably be up for a while, so no need to tiptoe in. Kwang Soo isn't there, just us tonight."

"Got it," Jong Kook nods. 

Charity lifts a hand as she slowly trudges out of the gym, and Jong Kook turns his attention toward the equipment.


	39. Slightly Off Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 37, 38, and 39 are all new within the last 24 hours, so be sure to go back to make sure you didn't miss any.

A bit under an hour later, Jong Kook lets himself back into Charity's apartment. A short but intense workout had kept his mind from flipping over his impending conversation with Hannah in his mind, but hadn't pushed Charity's situation away. In fact, his irritation with Miranda and her outright baby-snatching fueled his movements, allowing him to cram a better workout into less time than he originally intended.

True to her word, Charity is awake when he comes in. She's sitting on the couch in the dark, her hair wet and piled on top of her head. She wears leggings and an oversized t-shirt. As he approaches, Jong Kook sees an empty bottle of soju on its side on the coffee table in front of her. Another is right beside it, nearly gone. 

Hearing his steps, she looks up with hazy eyes and smiles at him. "Good workout?," she inquires politely.

"Mm." He nods. He leans forward and picks up the empty bottle before her. "Is this what we're doing tonight, Charity?"

She shrugs. "I don't know what  _you're_  doing, but yes. This is what I'm doing tonight." She lights up the display on her phone with a thumb. "For now."

He sighs and scrubs his hands over his face. "You going to be up for a bit? I'm going to take a shower."

"Yeah," she says, no longer looking at him. She stares off into the dark again, pouring the dregs of the second bottle into a shot glass and draining it quickly. Jong Kook grabs both empty bottles and swings by the kitchen to toss them in the trash before grabbing fresh clothes from his room and heading to the bathroom.

When he returns, scrubbing a towel over his wet hair, Charity has another bottle in front of her. This one only has a small dent in it. He flops down on the couch in front of her with a sigh. They look at each other silently for a few moments.

"You all right?," he finally asks.

"Yes," she says. "No. Yes. I mean, I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Are you?"

She sighs and picks up the bottle. Against his better judgment, Jong Kook half-stands to lean across the low table between them and takes it from her, pouring her shot before she can protest. She drains it before answering.

"I just... I want this to be over, you know?"

He nods sympathetically, saying nothing.

"If I can just get through this part, everything will be okay."

"Mmhm," he agrees. "I take it Miranda won't be featuring heavily in the rest of your life."

She shakes her head vehemently then seems to wobble a bit in her seat, clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol. "Uh uh. Nope. I'll be done with her as soon as I can. She just... " Charity trails off.

"She makes everything harder than it needs to be."

"Right?," Charity exclaims. "Why does she do this? It sucks enough that she has Zoe. We could have made it through this amicably. She could have tried to preserve  _some_  relationship with me, even though she never liked me."

"Why  _does_  she dislike you so much?"

"Oh, I told you." Charity waves a hand in the air. "I stole her son. She probably thinks I killed her son. Everything bad that has happened is my fault. And now I won't give her any of the money."

"I'm not saying to do it, not saying that at all, but out of curiousity - do you think if you  _did_  give her the money she wants, she'd leave you alone?"

Charity hesitates. "You know... I don't  _want_  to think that. I think she loves Zoe. She's a twisted lady, but I do think she loves my daughter. I want to think she's doing all she's doing out of some misguided sense of what's best for Zoe, but... "

"But... ?"

"But I can't help but feel that a pile of cash would send her on her way without a backward glance. She was always counting on Dare to be the one to take care of her as she got older. She's never worked. Her other kids are useless."

"What about your parents?"

"Have none," she replies, pouring herself another shot.

"Oh," Jong Kook says dumbly.

Before the brief silence can even approach awkward levels, Charity's phone chimes. She picks it up and thumbs it open to read a message, then moves to get up from the couch.

"Hey, Charity," he says suddenly, "I kind of need to talk about something."

"Oh?," she says, half-standing.

"Yeah. Yeah, I was hoping maybe I could bounce some stuff off of you?"

"I..." She looks down at the phone in her hand, then back to Jong Kook. "Well." She's clearly mentally at war with herself. To his surprise, though, she sits back down. "Yes, that's fine. What's going on?"

Jong Kook feels himself release a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Well, it's a bit of a long and crazy story. You're not going to believe it."

She gestures to her quickly emptying bottle. "If you've got something crazy to say, now's the time to say it. I'm ready to believe whatever you've got."

Jong Kook laughs lightly. "All right. So, a year or so ago, on my birthday... " he trails off. 

Charity raises a brow at him.

He laughs again and runs his hands through his damp hair. "Seriously, this is crazy. Thinking about how to say it, I'm realizing how crazy it all is."

Charity says nothing, just looks at him and waits.

"On my birthday --" He stops again. "I can't do this with you looking at me like that. It's making me feel weird."

"All right," Charity says agreeably, and hops unsteadily to her feet. She snags her bottle and shot glass, then circles the coffee table, plopping herself down against his side on the couch. "Now you can't see me." She leans a bit heavily against him. "Go on."

Jong Kook grins and stares straight ahead. She's right, he can't see her now, though he's very aware of her presence against his hip and ribs. He drapes both arms along the back of the couch.

"On your birthday...," Charity prompts him.

"Okay." He takes a deep breath. "On my birthday, Haha, Gary, and Kwang Soo took me to this weird fortune teller."

"Oh, the one way way out there, in the little house?"

"What?" Jong Kook is shocked. "You know her?"

He feels her shake her head.

"No, I don't know her myself. Kwang Soo told me about her."

"Huh? Kwang Soo already told you this story?"

"No, I don't think so...," she says slowly. "I don't think I knew you'd been there, but I know Kwang Soo has been there. She's a bit intense, huh?"

"You can say that ag -- wait, Kwang Soo has been there by himself?"

"Mmhm," Charity nods again. "He told me all about it. I was sober at the time so yeah, it all sounded a bit crazy, but I believe him. So I guess you don't have to worry about me thinking you've lost your mind."

"What was Kwang Soo doing there?"

"Aren't we talking about you right now?"

"Yeah, okay. So how much did Kwang Soo tell you?"

"Umm...," she speaks slowly, dredging up the memories. "Something about soulmates, seeing your soulmate, or like, kind of seeing your soulmate? That kind of thing? Magic." Charity waves her hands in a way Jong Kook assumes she means to be mystical.

"That sounds accurate," he says. "So Kwang Soo has a soulmate?"

"From what he told me, doesn't everyone?"

"Yeah. I mean, that's the theory we're working with here. Who is Kwang Soo's soulmate?"

"ASK HIM YOURSELF!," Charity suddenly shouts, leaning forward to pour another shot. She glares at him as she throws it back.

Jong Kook laughs, feeling a sort of tension break. "There's the Charity I knew and disliked. I'd wondered where she went. Come on." He reaches out and grabs her shoulder, hauling her back against him on the couch. She allows it, dropping back with a huff, and flops bonelessly against him. Her phone dings again, but she doesn't even glance toward the opposite couch where she left it. He leaves his arm around her shoulders, both to prop her up and possibly prevent any sudden dives for the phone.

"So ON YOUR BIRTHDAY," she starts for him.

"Right, it was my birthday. And we went to the fortune teller. And she did her thing, and she showed me my soulmate."

He feels Charity nod.

"But I didn't know who it was, because of the way it works. You don't get to know. But you kind of get a hint?"

She nods again. She's following along, at least, even if it sounds crazy.

"So I found out this woman was out there, but not nearby. I left, thinking it was all bullshit, but over time, I came around. You'll have to trust me, it makes sense in a weird way."

"Hmm," Charity says, tipping her head back against his arm. "I don't think you're a stupid man, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. So if you say so, I can roll with that."

"Appreciated," he chuckles. "So I decided I wanted to go for this whole soulmate thing, except there was a complication. We weren't ever going to meet."

"Right," Charity says slowly. Jong Kook can't tell if she's humoring him or not.

"I had a choice. I could just go on with my life as is, or I could let the fortune teller - her name is Ji Min - do some kind of woo woo magic to change things."

Charity shifts, seeming a bit more alert. "What would happen if you didn't do that?," she wonders.

"Well, nothing, really. I'd just go on with life. Except I'd probably be alone forever."

"That seems a bit unrealistic."

"Oh?"

"Well, yeah," Charity says, sounding indignant, a bit excessively so. "You're smart, you're talented, you're kind and caring, you've got a stable job, and you're very good looking. Why would you be alone forever?"

"I dunno," he shrugs. "I always figured it would happen for me eventually, but she told me it wouldn't, not in any lasting or meaningful way. So -- wait. You think I'm very good looking?" He reaches over and grabs her chin, turning her face to look at him. He grins at her.

She rolls her eyes. "Oh, fuck off, you know you are."

He laughs and she prods him with an elbow as she twists her chin loose from his hand. She leans her head against his shoulder and waits for him to continue.

"Anyway, long story short, I decided I had to do it. I let the fortune teller do her thing, and a while later, I met her. The woman."

"Is this the one you took to the gym?"

"The very same."

"Of course, I should have thought your soulmate would be in to that kind of ridiculousness for a date."

"Gary said the same thing," Jong Kook laughs. "She does like the gym. She's very pretty, she's smart, and very driven. She's pretty great."

"And this is the same girl from the other night, the one you didn't kiss?"

"Yes," he says.

"Huh." 

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know... just wondering why you wouldn't want to kiss your soulmate, I guess."

"I wondered the same thing. And I've really thought about what you said, about whether I wanted to kiss her, or I wanted to  _want_  to kiss her. That really stuck with me. And I just didn't know. So I went to visit Ji Min again tonight."

"Okay, I'm following." Charity turns her body slightly and flings her legs over his lap, settling herself down for the rest of the story. He tightens the arm around the back of her shoulders to help support her against the side of his chest, still not looking at her as he speaks.

"Something just doesn't seem right, you know? If this girl is my soulmate, shouldn't I have no question about whether or not I want to kiss her? Shouldn't I be texting her and trying to see her all the time, and shouldn't she be doing the same?"

"I admit I don't know a whole lot about how soulmates work, and I admit I'm kind of drunk, but I do see your point there."

"Right." Jong Kook leaves out the part where, for a moment, he certainly knew very clearly he wanted to kiss  _someone._  He shifts a bit, suddenly hyper-aware of Charity draped across him. "So I went to talk to Ji Min," he presses on. "And she reminded me of the condition."

"Condition?"

"When I allowed Ji Min to do whatever it was she did to make all of this happen, I agreed to a condition. It sounded like no big deal at the time. Ji Min made a change to the woman's life that would drop her into my life, and all I had to do was tell her."

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her that I altered the path of her life."

"You know, it might help to get her drunk before you tell her that, just saying."

"It might," Jong Kook agrees humorously. "But she doesn't drink."

"Of course she doesn't," Charity says under her breath, and Jong Kook can practically feel her rolling her eyes. He jostles her lightly and she grunts in protest, wiggling to dig herself down even deeper into the couch and his arm.

"Anyway," he continues. "Apparently, my soulmate has arrived in my life, but it's not really happening or permanent until I fulfill the condition."

"So that's maybe why you don't feel as strongly about her as you hoped to?"

"That's why," he confirms.

"So you've got to tell her then, right?"

"Well, yes and no."

Charity waits, idly tracing her fingers over the design on his t-shirt. Jong Kook is distracted by the light touch, not realizing the silence is stretching on until she pokes him.

"Yes and no?," she asks.

"If I tell her what I did - if I tell her that I'm the one who changed the course in her life in such a way that it brought us to meet, then I assume we live happily ever after as soulmates. I guess then we'd be more... soulmatey."

"And if you don't tell her?"

"And if I don't tell her --" Jong Kook pauses while Charity changes positions, sitting up and flinging her legs off and away from him. She pivots and lays her back across his legs now, looking up at him.

"Sorry, need to lay down," she explains. "Go on."

"And if I don't tell her..." Jong Kook looks down at Charity as he speaks. She stares right back up at him. "Then, from what I understand, it all just fizzles out, like the whole thing didn't happen. We don't live on as soulmates, we just live on. And I'll be alone, more or less."

"Then... it doesn't make sense not to tell her." Charity's brow furrows and her nose wrinkles as she thinks through all this new and ridiculous information.

"It doesn't make sense not to tell her," he agrees. "But... I don't know. I just thought I'd feel  _more_  for her. I like her. I like spending time with her. She's really, really great. But I just thought... I just thought there'd be more," he repeats lamely.

"But you know that if you  _do_  tell her, the more will happen."

"Yes."

"So...? I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not following anymore." She reaches out with one arm to blindly fumble around the coffee table, looking for her bottle. Jong Kook discreetly pushes it out of reach with his toe and watches until she gives up.

"What if this isn't what I want?"

"Don't you have to do it to find out if it's what you want?"

"But once it's done, it can't be undone."

"Ahhh," Charity says and Jong Kook can see it all clicking into place. "Cold feet, then. You want confirmation that this is the right thing to do, but you can't get that confirmation until you do it."

"That about sums it up."

"Is there a time limit or something?"

"Well, Ji Min did make it sound like I didn't have forever, but I don't know any specifics on that front. Oh. Except that I have to tell her before she finds out on her own, but I'm not super concerned about that." He removes one arm from the back of the couch and drapes it over her hips where she lays on his lap.

"So," Charity says thoughtfully, tapping a finger against her lips as she looks up at him. "Let's say we take everything the fortune teller says as absolutely true, a given for this conversation. If you go ahead and tell her, you get what you want. A soulmate, someone to be with, all of that. If you don't tell her, you don't get a soulmate. Not just this one, but no one, ever?"

"Right."

"And if you  _do_  go ahead and tell her, then you're committed forever. But you're not entirely certain that this is the woman you want to be committed to, right?"

"There's nothing  _wrong_  with her," Jong Kook defends. "It's just that there's something... "

"What?," Charity prods.

"I don't know," he finally replies, sighing in frustration. "There's  _something_. And I don't know. I'm so tired of thinking through all of this over and over. I feel like it shouldn't be this  _hard,_ you know? I think that's it. I feel like if you're meant to be, it should be easy. Comfortable. You know what I mean? I'm exhausted from turning this over and over in my mind."

"Well, you know what I like to do when there's too much going on in my head and I need to escape it?" She grins and wiggles her eyebrows at him suggestively, jokingly.

He doesn't respond, and the grin fades from her face as he continues to stare down at her intensely.

"Jong Kook-ssi? Hello? You okay?" She lifts a hand to pat him on the cheek. "I'm sorry, I was just joking arou-- "

She stops suddenly as he grabs her wrist, pulling her hand from his face, dragging it down to her side as he leans over her. He watches her eyes widen as he leans closer, but it barely registers. He moves as if on autopilot, bringing their faces within centimeters of each other. Charity, pinned now between his chest and his legs, doesn't move. She doesn't even seem to be breathing.

"All right," he says, his voice sounding far away to his own ears. "All right."

"Uh, all right what?," Charity asks. He's so close now their lips brush as she speaks.

"All right, let's do that," he replies, and cuts off any further response by pressing his lips to hers.


	40. Do the Right Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another reminder that Ch 37-40 are new today, in case you missed one of the updates.

Jong Kook wakes slowly the next morning and groggily rolls over in bed to throw his arm around Charity. There'd been some sleeping the night before, but not much. As soon as he'd kissed her, it was like a switch had flipped in Charity. She'd wriggled out of his grasp and to her feet. For an instant, he was sure he was about to get screamed at, but instead, she'd reached down to grab his wrist, hauling him up as well. Dragging him across the apartment, she'd hip checked the door to his room open and pulled him inside.

Whether it was the alcohol or just the way Charity is, Jong Kook didn't know, but she was absolutely single-minded for the rest of the night. Her eyes stayed hazed over long past the time the soju should have burned off. Every time he'd finally drift to sleep, she'd creep back across the bed to nudge him awake again. She was borderline aggressive, but not overly so. Any weirdness that might have existed in such a situation evaporated almost instantly, as they got caught up in each other and caught up in just not thinking.

Opening his mouth to say good morning, he's shocked to find Charity isn't actually sprawled out beside him where she'd been all night. Instead, he's greeted with an empty bed, her half long gone cold. He rolls back onto his back and stares up at the ceiling, exhaling sharply. An unwelcome thought starts niggling at the back of his mind, and he fights back flashes of memory and images of the night before to put his finger on it, but it isn't easy. Suddenly, he remembers. He's meeting Hannah today. To talk.

He sits up and leans back against the headboard, sheet dropping to his waist. He flushes slightly, even though he's alone, to realize he's still entirely naked, then shrugs. It's not like Charity hadn't seen him naked before. And now there's nothing at all left to hide. He flushes even more deeply, remembering. Nothing at  _all_  left to hide.

He grabs a cup of water from beside the bed, one he doesn't remember placing there, and takes a deep drink. Everything is different now. How can he tell Hannah they're soulmates when there's clearly something going on with Charity? How can he tell Charity he's going to go ahead with telling Hannah after last night? He groans, dropping his face into his hands. This decision he's been struggling with has suddenly been taken out of his hands, and  _he's_  the one who took it away. He can't remember what made him kiss Charity the night before. He just wanted to, so he did. And now... now what? Now he's got Charity and not Hannah. He wants to be annoyed with himself, be  _angry_  with himself, even, but he feels a tinge of relief around the edges of his thoughts, that the stress of figuring out how to tell Hannah what he did is gone.

Just as the relief is taking hold and starting to spread, his heart sinks. Now he's got Charity and not Hannah. Thinking back on all Ji Min has told him, he knows that if it's not Hannah, it's no one for him. What had she said, that others would pass by in his life, but none would stay? That in the end, it's just him on his own if it's not him with his soulmate. Although Hannah doesn't feel  _quite_  right, there's certainly no guarantee she'd  _keep_  feeling that way. In fact, if he had just sucked it up and told her, he knows she'd likely be just  _perfect_  for him. Everything about her is perfect for him. So what if, at this moment, his heart isn't jumping at the thought of seeing her later? That would come. That would come if he had just been a man and done what he'd said he'd do. And now, now he can't. Now he has Charity. And he has to admit to himself, that's not really a bad thing, either. They get along. Charity is prickly where Hannah is bubbly and friendly, but they're both quite smart. Charity is not the healthy eating, gym-going partner Hannah would be, but she's welcoming and comforting at home. And while he hasn't allowed himself to think much about what Hannah would be like in bed, Charity is... he sucks in a deep breath. Well. Charity sure is.

But Hannah would be a partner forever. Charity is just a partner for now.

Steeling himself for the day with a heavy sigh, he finally swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands. Grabbing his phone from the bedside table, he sends a quick message to Hannah to ask her where and when she'll be shopping later. Spotting Charity's phone next to where his had been, he again colors slightly and grabs it up before heading out to the main rooms.

Charity is in the kitchen, showered and fully dressed, puttering around at the stove.

"Morning," she calls, hearing his door open. "Did I leave my phone? I didn't want to wake you."

"Uh..."

He's momentarily startled by how casual and normal Charity sounds, but then, he doesn't know what he expected. Confessions of undying love? He mentally snorts. Shy, bashful Charity clinging to his arm and calling him "oppa?" He snorts out loud at that thought. No, no, he supposes this is exactly what he should have expected.

"Phone?," she calls again over her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I have it right here." He walks over and places it on the kitchen island behind her.

"Little busy, can you check to see if there's a message from Miranda? It's unlocked."

Jong Kook lights up the screen of her phone to find a stream of text message notifications. Catching a glimpse of a few less than... chaste... messages, he quickly scrolls through for Miranda's name.

"Well, I don't know, but there is a message here from someone named She-Bitch from Hades saying she and Zoe got to the airport okay." He's laughing by the time he finishes.

Charity grins over her shoulder at him. "Thanks. Good to know."

"Now I kind of want to know how you have  _me_  stored in your contacts."

"Nah, you don't." She shakes her head. "Zoe's gone, so I'm making... well, eggs. But omelettes with actual vegetables. Want one?"

"Sure." He pulls out a stool and sits down. She still hasn't turned to face him completely and he wonders if he  _is_  getting a bit of that shy, bashful Charity. He grins to himself at the thought. He barely has time to entertain it before she slides a plate in front of him and sets her own down across the counter.

"I'd already started one for you. Figured you'd be hungry this morning."

He mentally curses the redness he knows is creeping up his neck and keeps his eyes on his plate.

"You off today?," she asks.

"Yep, you?"

"I am," she confirms. "I was expecting Zoe to be here today, so... " She trails off and shrugs.

"Any plans?," he asks, wondering if he should ask her to lunch or dinner or a movie or... he has no idea what kind of protocol he should be following here.

"I'll probably work on some business stuff. Selling my share of the company."

"What? Why?" He finally looks up at her.

"I just don't really see it taking hold in Korea, to be honest. It's hard to get small businesses to get on board with a foreign company like mine. And, you know, Ji Hyo is busy, and I just don't have the time to dedicate to it. Then Zoe will be here at the end of the summer, and I don't want to spend that much time away from her."

"But don't you need to get that business established to stay in Korea after your work visa from Ji Hyo expires?"

"Mm," she nods and hums around a bite of omelette. Swallowing, she says, "Yes, I can only stay through probably the end of the year with Ji Hyo's visa, maybe early next year."

Jong Kook's throat goes dry and he grabs Charity's orange juice from in front of her plate, draining it. "And then?," he says when it's all gone.

"Then back to the States, probably. Or England? Australia? I don't know. I can go where I want, I guess." She looks around at her apartment, all the space she has to call her own. "Weird. To struggle for so many years and now suddenly... " She stabs a piece of asparagus from her plate. "Now, whatever I want."

"You... you don't want to stay in Korea?"

"Oh, I love Korea," she assures him. "But I  _will_  have to leave when my visa expires. Then I'd have to get a new one, or figure something else out, and eh. We'll see, I guess, but it's appealing to kind of just pick up and go somewhere."

"I can see that," he nods slowly. So this is how it happens. His heart clenches. Ji Min was right. If it's not Hannah, it can be Charity, but she'll leave. She'll leave soon. And she doesn't even seem to mind.

"What about you?," she asks.

"Hm?" He's jolted out of his thoughts and lifts his head.

"Plans today?," she asks. "Oh!," she exclaims before he can respond. "Today's the day, right?"

"Today's the day?," he repeats dumbly.

"Yes! You're telling her today, right? I don't quite remember what you settled on last night, but you've got to tell her, right? Today?"

"I... " He looks at her with his jaw dropped.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of  _not_  telling her. You've just got to make the leap, dude. It's the only path that makes sense, again assuming everything the fortune teller told you was true, don't you think?"

He drops his fork to the counter with a clatter, staring at her. She lifts an eyebrow, puzzled. He wants to reach out and strangle her and kiss her at the same time. How can she be so matter of fact about this? Of course he's not going to tell Hannah today. He can't tell her at  _all_. Everything is different now. How does she not see that everything --

"So what I'm thinking is that you just... blurt it out." He's shaken from his thoughts as Charity keeps talking, gesturing with her fork as she thinks. "You just say, I've got to tell you something. I did a thing. The thing is done. Okay."

He keeps staring at her.

"I mean, I'm sure you're agonizing over the perfect language and what exactly to say and what kind of reaction she might have. I think just ripping the band aid off is best." She nods to herself. "Just rip it off, Kim Jong Kook-ssi."

That finally gets him to open his mouth. "Kim Jong Kook-ssi?," he mocks sardonically, anger bubbling beneath the surface. "Really? Kim Jong Kook-ssi? After last night?" He knows the tension is threading through his voice, but Charity seems oblivious.

"Oh, yeah," she says around a bite of eggs. "A+, Kim Jong Kook-ssi."

"A+?" He's beginning to sound like a broken Charity record, stumbling over repeating her own words back to her over and over.

"Mmhm." She nods, chewing, then gives him two thumbs up. She swallows. "I'd go again."

"Yeah?" he says, standing before he knows what he's doing, stool clattering to the ground behind him. In a flash, he's around the counter and standing in front of her, sliding a hand around the back of her neck to turn her body toward him. "Encore, then," he says quietly, dropping his lips to hers harshly.


	41. Rip It

Jong Kook awakes groggy from an out of character midday nap. He looks around for what woke him up, grumpy at the disturbance, and sees it's his phone, placed on the bedside table. He doesn't remember putting it there, but assumes Charity must have left it for him. She is, of course, nowhere to be seen. Jong Kook rolls his eyes, wondering what about him is so distasteful that she has to creep off while he's sleeping. He grins to himself then, realizing she can't possibly find him  _that_  distasteful. They'd spent the whole of the morning in bed, laughing and enjoying themselves. While he can't say he really approves of Charity's lifestyle, he does have to admit that she's certainly having a good time doing it.

As he reaches over to grab his phone, he idly wonders what Charity is up to for the rest of the day. Feeling more than a bit physically exhausted, he knows he'd be down for hanging out on the couches with her and Kwang Soo for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Well, some of the evening. He knows full well how he plans to spend  _most_  of the evening.

Stretching, he pulls up the message screen on his phone. "Shit," he breathes, seeing a message from Hannah. She's letting him know when and where she'll be shopping. He considers cancelling, but ultimately decides against it. He should at least tell her that he won't be seeing her anymore, right? Or... he sighs, finally allowing himself a moment to think through his choices and the ramifications of each.

If he tells Hannah today, setting aside whatever her reaction might be, he's, in theory, set for life. He assumes that whatever's missing from his relationship with Hannah will spring to life. Instantly? Over time? He's not really sure. But it will be there, like what Haha and Go Eun have. Try as he might, he just can't picture that happening. But everything else the fortune teller had shown him had proven true. The girl with green eyes appeared, dropped suddenly into his life, just like he was promised. Even if Ji Min is full of it, and he tells Hannah, he won't really have lost anything for trying, except for maybe a friend who will then believe him to be an absolute lunatic. The upsides of telling Hannah, as he sees them, are obviously a partner for life, love and happiness, a wonderful woman who would cause most men to envy him. The downsides, then, are her potential reaction, the fact that this could all somehow be some elaborate hoax, and... Charity.

If he tells Hannah today, what happens to him and Charity?  _Is_  there even a him and Charity? He's grown quite fond of her, and he knows she likes him as well. Her feelings may not be the most obvious in the world, but she's certainly not one for hiding her  _dislike_. After the previous evening, he had naturally assumed they had something going on - sure, they were just friendly up until that point, but there was an undeniable connection between them in the night. And in the morning. But her casual attitude has thrown him off. Maybe she  _doesn't_  like him? Not like  _that_ , anyway. Of course, he reasons, why would she? He doesn't like her like  _that_ , either. At least, not yet. He doesn't think so. He admits to himself now, though, that he could. He easily could. The Jong Kook of just a couple of weeks ago would laugh in his face if told he was going to develop a little crush on Charity, but current Jong Kook being his most honest with himself has to admit it's there. It's not the sex - well, not  _just_  the sex. There's some quality about her that has just grown on him. It first made him more comfortable spending time around her, then made him  _want_  to spend time around her.

If he doesn't tell Hannah, he can see where things go with Charity. Ji Min did say that various women would pass through his life, but nothing lasting. However, he remembers now that she  _also_  said that he would probably have wonderful experiences, experiences he wouldn't trade away once he'd had them, not for any improvement in his life otherwise. If Charity is one of those things, even though she'll leave him eventually, would it be so terrible to trade away Hannah for that experience? To have something in his life that, while fleeting, was worth it? 

He groans. Logically, he thinks not. No, of course it's not worth it. To trade away a lifetime for what, a couple of months? Half a year? If he's being sane about this, Hannah is the absolute right choice. The only choice. But the not so rational part of his mind disagrees. The not so rational part wants to know where things with Charity could go, how far they could go before they were separated by fate. But maybe it's not far at all. Maybe they're already done. Maybe they had some fun and now it's over.

He stares glumly at the wall as he finds himself in the exact same position as the night before, with an added layer. He can't know if Hannah's what he wants until he makes the leap of faith and tells her, cutting off his avenue to Charity. He can't know how things would go with Charity unless he closes the door on Hannah. He wonders idly how people can stand gambling, throwing down money on an unknown outcome. It's agonizing and certainly not something he'd do for fun, ever.

He looks at his phone again, noting the time, and realizes he's going to have to rush to shower and get ready to meet Hannah at the store.

What was it Charity had that morning? Rip the band aid off?

 _All right_ , he tells himself.  _Rip the bandaid off. I'll count to three and whatever comes to mind first is what I'm doing._

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

"I'm telling her," he says out loud, surprising even himself.


	42. Headbanging

Jong Kook has just parked Charity's car outside a grocery store not far from Hannah's apartment when he sees her black BMW come careening into the parking lot. He winces and barely resists covering his eyes as she swings into a spot, certain she's about to take out another car's bumper, or one of her mirrors, or perhaps a small child. She makes it just fine, though, and he can see her from where he's sitting. Instead of getting out, though, she picks up her phone. Noting her talking, Jong Kook decides to wait in the car until she's done. Prolonging the inevitable? Maybe. But he'll take it. 

When he'd come out of his bedroom to grab a quick shower, the apartment was silent. When he'd grabbed a drink from the kitchen, he'd noticed a tented slip of paper on the counter with a note from Charity.

_"Had to run out for a bit. Left the keys for you. Rip that band aid! Text me how it goes. Fighting!"_

He'd smiled softly down at the note, appreciating how she does little things like that to care for everyone. Protecting Ji Hyo's sleep when she manages to grab a quick nap on set. Gently steering Kwang Soo through conversations with the occasional American fan watching a Running Man filming. Knowing everyone ever's coffee order and slipping through the crowds to deliver morning refreshments. Always making sure there's suitable food for Jong Kook to eat at home, since such consideration is rarely taken during filming. And now, cheering him on through what she knows is a challenge for him.

Now, he sits in the parking lot, watching Hannah talk animatedly into her phone, still not at all sure what he's going to say. Still not at all sure he's making the right choice. But committed. He told himself he was going to go with whatever popped into his head first, so he's sticking with it. The how will just have to figure itself out as they go along.

After a couple of minutes, he sees her pull her phone away from her face and look at for a moment, then tuck it away. The car door opens and her long legs swing out, encased in black slacks and the same flowered high heels she'd worn upon her arrival to Korea. As she stands, he notes she's wearing a professionally tailored blouse and her hair is pulled back in a sleek twist. She looks so elegant and collected, he can't help but smile fondly.

He gets out of his own car and calls to her, jogging across the parking lot. Her face lights up as she sees him.

"Mr. Kim Jong Kook!" She flings her arms around him for a tight squeeze, and he hugs her back with one arm. "Let me tell you, it's good to see a friendly face." She reaches down and grabs his hand.

"Oh?," he inquires as they head into the store. "Is someone not being nice to you? Tell me who." His temper flares slightly at the thought.

"No, no, most everyone is nice enough," she sighs. She drops his hand as the enter the store and grabs a cart, pushing it in. He gently moves her aside to push the cart himself. "I'm just so... frustrated!" Her mouth turns down in an uncharacteristic frown.

"What's going on?," he asks as they begin to navigate the aisles.

"It's a lot of little things, really. It will probably sound ridiculous."

"Try me," Jong Kook says wryly, knowing that he's got the ridiculous trump card coming up.

"Well," she starts. "The other day while I was doing rounds, Daniel met with the heads of the program and laid out the schedule for the next six months. For both of us!"

"Shouldn't you get some say in that?"

"I should!," she says, slapping him on the shoulder. "But he did it all without me."

"I don't really understand anything about what you're doing, but does what he set up favor him over you?"

"No, it doesn't, but he  _thinks_  it does, which really chaps my ass, you know? What he did was set himself up with some easy - well, relatively easy - rotations, places where he figures he can shine, and left some really challenging things for me. He framed it to me like he was doing me a favor, like, 'oh, I thought you really liked this particular area, so I left it for you.' And made it sound like he took all the basic rotations as some kind of sacrifice for me. But of course what he's really doing is stacking the deck so he'll have more exceeds reviews than fails to meet reviews. Oh, exceeds and fails to meet - those are two of the options on our rating rubric. Exceeds expectations and fails to meet expectations. Everyone is expected to have a scattering of ratings all up and down the scale, but of course exceeds are more favorable, especially considering the limited number of prestigious positions available to the two of us after this."

Jong Kook just nods, letting her talk, sensing that she needs to blow off some steam. Surely she maintains a professional demeanor throughout these types of daily interactions, and he's pleased to note she's comfortable letting that mask slide with him.

"But honestly, the way he set things up, sure, he may get a lot of exceeds. But he's counting on my rotations leading to me having more fails to meet than exceeds, and he's  _wrong_ ," she says fiercely. "If he'd taken the time to actually  _speak_  to me, he'd know he's thrown me right into my niche, over and over. So sure, he'll have plenty of exceeds, but so will I, and mine will be weighted more heavily due to the more challenging nature of the work. Bad gamble, Daniel."

"So even though he made all the plans to benefit himself, it seems he's actually favoring you by mistake. No harm no foul?"

"It's the PRINCIPLE of the thing, Mr. Kim Jong Kook!," she exclaims. "He just did it  _for_  me. I should be included in things that affect my life like this, even if it did work out for the best for me in the end."

"I see," he replies. "I get where you're coming from. By the way," he says, a bit awkwardly. "You don't have to call me Mr. Kim Jong Kook."

"No?," she asks. "What do I call you? I admit I'm not far along in my Korean lessons, but we have learned a bit about addressing people in professional settings and non-professional settings and I was under the impression that I was being polite."

"Well, sure, but you can be more comfortable with me. You can call me oppa, or Jong Kook oppa."

"And that's still polite?"

"Perfectly fine," he assures her with a grin.

"All right, Jong Kook oppa!" She grins back at him.

"So what else is going on?," he asks, watching her deliberate over the produce.

"Well," she says, "right before I came in here, I got a phone call from my ex."

He stiffens, but she's engrossed in the vegetables and doesn't notice.

"Really?," he says, hoping he sounds neutral.

"Yep." She adds a few items to the cart before moving forward. " _Apparently_ , he's been researching since I left. He said he's found a comparable program in the states, fairly near to where we were living - not _close_ , but not, you know, Korea. He went on and on about how it's very nearly as good and has very nearly as many very nearly quality opportunities afterward. On top of  _that_ , he went ahead and took my portfolio to the heads of the program, and they'd be thrilled to have me. They're just waiting for my call." She flings a bag of rice into her cart with more force than necessary.

"He wants you to just leave  _this_  program?"

"Yes. He's got it all arranged for us. He's even spoken to his bosses about transferring to a New York office so that we could live together."

Jong Kook considers his next words carefully, trying to feel his way around how tightly Hannah is wound up.

"And I assume from there, you'd get married."

"Yep." Hannah slams a few more things into the cart. Jong Kook isn't entirely certain she knows what she's buying at this point. She seems to be moving on autopilot powered by the steam of rage.

"Does he -- "

Hannah cuts him off, turning to face him. "I'm just so  _sick_  of people who aren't me trying to control my life! First my mother applies me to this program despite me making it very clear I wasn't interested. Then Mark - that's my ex - tries to dictate whether I can or can't go. Then Daniel, choosing my schedule for me, knowing FULL WELL how important each of our rotations is for our future with the program. Then Mark - again! - setting up my entire life for me! No one is asking me anything! Everyone is just DOING. Doing what  _they_  think is best for me. You know who knows what's best for me, Mr. -- Jong Kook oppa? Me! I know what's best for me!  _I_  should be in control of my life! Me! No one else. I'm so frustrated, I could just  _scream_. I -- I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off on you like that." She looks sheepish. "It's just, my whole life, it's always seemed like there was this person or that person or a professor or employer nudging my life the way  _they_  think it should go. I'm just so done with it all, you know?"

Jong Kook stares at her, wide-eyed, frozen in place with his arm still in the air reaching for a can for her. She laughs lightly and takes it from his hand, placing it in the cart and steering them toward the checkout. He trails along behind her, dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes again, setting her purchases on the belt. "You wanted to talk, and I've spent this whole time blistering your ear with some rather unflattering behavior. I just... it's good to let it all out to a good friend, you know?" She turns her megawatt grin on him and he smiles weakly back. He woodenly helps her through the transaction where needed, but notes she  _does_  actually seem to have some very basic Korean down. He's still following along behind her in a haze as they exit the store and approach her car. As they load the groceries into the trunk, she glances at her watch.

"Damn!," she exclaims. "I don't have much time left. I'm so sorry." She smiles apologetically. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I..." The wheels in Jong Kook's brain turn frantically.  _Band aid! Band aid!,_  he screams to himself internally. "I, uh... I wanted to tell you that... "

She's smiling at him patiently, though he can see her eyes dart to her watch again. 

"I wanted to tell you that I think you're doing great and I'm proud of you for coming to a new country and jumping right in with all you want to do," he says in a rush. "I wanted to tell you that... I like being your friend and I want to try to see you more."

"Aw!" Her face lights up. "You didn't need to meet me in person to tell me that, but I'm so happy you did!" She flings her arms around him and presses close. He can't even force his own arms to lift to match hers. Her mouth is by his ear when she says, "You don't know how much your friendship means to me, Jong Kook oppa. I know I'm not available a lot, but just seeing you today, on such a crappy day, has really been a bright spot. It makes it clear that I need to make time to see you. Please be patient with me. I'm going to make you a priority. I promise. I already feel ten times lighter just from talking to you today, and I hope somehow I can return the favor to you, too."

Jong Kook nods and pulls away from the hug. 

"And... and also," he says, screwing up his courage.

"Hm?," Hannah says, already focused on folding herself into the driver's seat of her car.

"And also... drive safely, ok?" He hates himself. He absolutely hates himself.

"Will do!" She smiles brightly at him and pulls the door shut. Rolling down her window, she calls, "Thanks for coming with me today! Let's make plans for dinner really soon!" With a few blown kisses in her wake, she's zooming out of the parking lot and away, leaving him standing next to the empty spot for he has no idea how long, until someone irritatedly beeps for him to move.

He trudges back to Charity's car and drops into the driver's seat, then drops his head to the steering wheel. Anyone passing by would likely be surprised to see Kim Jong Kook, sitting alone in a car, rhythmically banging his head off the wheel.


	43. Recriminations

Jong Kook drives around aimlessly once he finally pulls himself together enough to start the car. What happened to going with the first thing that popped in his head? What happened to ripping the band aid off?

He grimaces. He knows exactly what happened. There was Hannah, confiding all her frustrations in him, telling him about how worn out she was with people trying to control her life. And he felt... small. And selfish. He thinks back to Haha and Go Eun's wedding, when Go Eun had encouraged him to go ahead and do it, to make the deal with Ji Min, because who cares what his soulmate's life was like  _before_? That it was clearly best for  _everyone_  if he did it, because who wouldn't want to be with their soulmate?

But as he listened to Hannah's long list of issues with people doing exactly what he did - making choices for her, deciding how her life would go, influencing things she'd wanted a say her herself - a creeping feeling of fresh doubt was crawling over him. By the time she pulled away, it had firmly taken hold. He does  _not_  feel good about being another controlling hand in Hannah's life. Not good at all.

On top of that, he's brought back around to his original sticking point. Does he really  _want_  this or not? Now, he additionally wonders if  _Hannah_  would want it. Just because they're soulmates and would be happy  _together_  doesn't mean that the life Hannah wants is one with him. Or with anyone. He can't believe it hasn't occurred to him before that he really  _does_  have an option here. Just because he has a soulmate doesn't mean he has to be with her. He wouldn't have been, in fact, and would have been none the wiser had he never gone out to that house in the woods. Of course, Hannah's life would have been the same. To some extent, at least. She wouldn't have been with her soulmate, either, but it probably would have been fine for her. She  _seems_  fine. 

Now more than ever, he's uncomfortably aware he made this choice not only for himself, but for Hannah, too. When he'd done it, it had been on the assumption that  _anyone_  would want to be paired up with his or her soulmate, if the choice was there. What he's realizing now is that there's absolutely no way to know if someone would appreciate that option at all. Just because a soulmate  _exists_  doesn't mean that's the life you must lead. That's why he froze when Hannah started listing off all the ways people had interfered in her life. She clearly does  _not_  want to be interfered with. All the good intentions that Jong Kook had in doing what he did melted away to reveal the real motivation - selfishness, self-absorbtion, a narrow focus on himself and only his own happiness.

Without realizing it, Jong Kook has pulled in to the basement garage beneath Charity's apartment. He ambles upstairs slowly, still thinking. He knows that if he does still go through with it and tell Hannah, their feelings toward each other will change. And that's a good thing. It would be a nice thing to have in his life again, after being single for so long. Someone to care about, who cares about him, too. Someone to spend time with, to talk to, to just live life with. The idea still holds an enormous amount of appeal. But, he finally allows himself to realize, what  _he_  wants doesn't seem to be what Hannah wants. He wants to get married, she clearly doesn't. He was assuming that would change once the deal was finalized, but maybe it wouldn't. Maybe she would marry him to satisfy his need. Maybe he'd have to agree to never get married. He wants kids, like, now. She's focused on her career and certainly not in a place for children. So who has to bend in that situation? Does he pull her off her career track, the things she's been striving toward her whole life, so he can have what he wants? Or would just being with her be enough? No family, no children, no grandchildren, just Hannah? 

As he's punching in the code to Charity's door, he wonders if soulmates always stay together. If just  _being_  soulmates is enough, despite the vast differences in their goals and plans. Does telling her mean it all works out somehow and they're together forever, or does it mean that they're both tied to someone who forces concessions and unhappiness? Do their whole lives suddenly become perfect as they fall into each other, or does the deal just make it all the more painful to exist with someone who is both so perfect and so wrong?

Looking at Haha and Go Eun, it would seem like everything has to work out. But if there's a soulmate for each person in the world, and every person in the world is so intensely different from every other person, is it realistic to expect that every soulmate relationship will be like theirs? Jong Kook doesn't think so. For the first time,  _real_  doubt is taking a firm hold. Not doubt about whether or not he wants to be with his soulmate, but whether a soulmate relationship could be guaranteed to be perfect. He just wants to  _know_. He wants answers before making a decision. He's got nothing but questions and uncertainty and a decision looming over his head, closer and closer every day.

He trudges into the apartment and kicks his sneakers off.

"Hey!," Charity calls. She's sitting on the bottom step tugging boots on over ripped skinny jeans. Her hair is down, something that always shocks Jong Kook, and it tumbles disorganized all the way down her back. "Did you see her today? How did it go?," she asks, standing.

He shifts his weight from foot to foot. "I saw her," he hedges.

"And?," Charity asks, turning her back to him as she checks her makeup - dark, smoky - in the mirror hung at her eye level in the hall.

"Where are you going?," he asks.

She rolls her eyes. "Don't avoid the question, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Are you in loooooove?," she teases.

He shakes his head silently and she gives him a puzzled look, waiting for him to elaborate, but he doesn't. She takes the moment of silence to reach down and snag a small crossbody bag from the floor near where she'd been sitting. Pulling her phone out of her pocket and slipping it into the bag, she looks up at him.

"What's up?," she asks, concerned.

"Where are you going?," he asks again.

"Out," she shrugs. "You okay?"

"Are you coming back tonight?" He takes a step closer and she shifts her weight back on her heels.

"Not sure," she says. "Maybe, but probably late. You shouldn't wait up. I've got a few minutes, though, if you want to talk."

"I don't want to talk. Who are you going out with?" Where moments before he was morose and deeply thoughtful, he now feels tense and tight. His temper is springing up from nowhere, making him clench his fists and deliberately breathe slowly to manage the flare. He steps closer again and Charity leans back against the wall.

"No one in particular," she says. "Just out." She drops her bag over her shoulder. "Excuse me." She moves to step around him. He steps right as she moves. She tries the other way and he steps left blocking her.

"What are you going to do? Are you drinking tonight?"

"What the fuck, dude? Get out of my way." She tries to get past him again and he steps right into her space, tipping his face down toward hers.

"Why?"

"Why? Because you're in my fucking way. MOVE." She shoves against his chest with both hands and he grabs her wrists, pulling them down to her sides.

"No, why are you going out?"

"Are you new here? I'm going out. Jesus, dickhead,  _move._ "

"No."

"Move!"

Charity's legitimately angry now, her brown eyes flashing at him and her jaw set in a way he hasn't seen in a while. At least, not directed at him. He hears vague alarm bells going off in his mind. He knows he's going too far, that he has no right to stop her, but he can't stop  _himself._

"Stay in with me."

"No. Move." She tries to wrest her wrists away from him but he holds fast and dips his head down so his mouth is near her ear.

"Yes. You're staying in with me."

"I'm not, I'm going out, and if you don't fucking move right this fucking instant I swear to God -- "

He slides his hands up to her shoulders and kisses the side of her neck lightly. She takes the opportunity given by her suddenly freed hands to wedge them between their bodies and shove hard against his chest. He stumbles back, momentarily shocked out of the unnamable feeling that had him pinning Charity against the wall. She, however, has  _not_  lost any of the rage currently flowing through her. Her chest is heaving with anger and she glares at him with something seemingly bordering on disgust.

"I'm going out," she says, her voice low and tight. "And maybe you should think about finding somewhere else to stay if this is how you're going to behave."

"How am I behaving?," he asks mockingly. "Like  _you_?"

Her eyes narrow, knowing he's referencing her aggressive hallway attack back when he first arrived.

"No," she spits. "You _know_  I'm down for that shit." Her language seems to be slipping with her temper, English words and turns of phrase slipping in and out of her normally pretty accomplished Korean. "What I am  _not_  down for is HELPING YOU CHEAT ON YOUR GIRLFRIEND," she practically finishes in a roar.

"I -- wait, what?" He's momentarily entirely confused. "I don't have... " He trails off.

"You didn't tell her," Charity breathes. 

"I didn't," he says, eyes downcast.

"But... I thought... why?"

He lifts his head and they stare at each other across the narrow hallway. He shrugs silently, unable to find the words for the swirling doubts and recriminations and shame he's been swimming in all evening. He can't bring himself to tell Charity how lowly he's behaved. How callously he treated another person. After clawing his way up to being her friend of a sort, he can't bear the idea of dropping in her esteem by revealing the true nature of his actions. He rubs his hands through his hair.

"I just... can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me," he says, resigned to giving up this fight. He doesn't even understand why he  _started_  this fight. He steps to the side to make it clear he intends to let her pass.

She stares at him for a long moment. He can practically see the wheels turning through her clear, dark eyes. She seems to be searching his. Finding whatever she was looking for, she casts her eyes away. She steps away from the wall, but to his surprise, instead of beelining for the door, she heads the opposite way, across the living room. She drops her purse on the couch and sheds her black moto jacket near the television. Approaching his bedroom door, she strips off her shirt. It's then he's finally shaken out of some trance.

"What are you doing?," he asks after her.

"Come help me with my boots, asshole," she calls over her shoulder, kicking his bedroom door open and vanishing inside.


	44. LIKE A CORN

It's deep into the night when Jong Kook is awakened by a muffled curse.

"Shit. Ow, fuck."

"Charity?" He lifts his head off his pillow before dropping it back down immediately, exhausted.

"Go back to sleep."

"Where are you going?"

"Bed."

Eyes adjusting, he can just make out her form, bent, fumbling on the ground for her clothes, he assumes.

"This is a bed," he says reasonably.

"My bed," she replies. "Go back to sleep."

"Just get back in bed," he says, starting to feel irritated.

"No, I'm tired now. I want to sleep."

"So sleep." His eyelids are already drooping again and he turns on his side. She's standing now, pulling on her underwear and t-shirt, then gathers her jeans, boots, and bra in her arms.

"Good night, Kim Jong Kook-ssi," she says, and he can hear the eyeroll in her tone.

He snakes out a hand and barely manages to hook a finger into the elastic of her underwear. He tugs gently, pulling her back toward the bed.

"Come on," she complains. "You can't have anything left in you, I'm certain of it."

He chuckles at the truth of her remark. She is nothing if not thourough in her night time work. "Just get back in here and go to sleep."

"Nah," she says, wriggling herself loose again. His arm falls limply onto the bed. No gym tomorrow, he notes to himself wryly. "I'm going upstairs to shower and sleep."

"Why?," he asks on a yawn. 

"I never stay over," she says, as if that makes any sense at all.

"Charity, this is  _your_  house. You're staying over regardless."

"Yes, but, I -- Holy shit, just go back to sleep!" Her words are annoyed but there's a tinge of laughter to her voice. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"But what if I have a bad dream?," he asks, trying to put a pout into his tone. 

"I left your phone by the bed. Call Kwang Soo."

With that, she slips out of the room, shutting the door lightly behind her.

* * *

When Jong Kook does finally get up for the day, Charity isn't home. It doesn't matter, though, as moments after getting out of the shower, his phone is lighting up with a call from his manager, letting him know it's time to start the day, packed full of meetings, meetings, a photoshoot, and meetings. He barely has time to stuff his phone in his bag before he's jogging down the hall to the elevator.

The day, although busy, passes quickly with not much time for sitting and thinking. That's fine with Jong Kook, as his problems seem to be stacking up and solutions aren't following. It's Friday, though, and his weekend is unscheduled, so he knows he's got plenty of empty hours for dwelling coming up.

When he lets himself back into the apartment in the early evening, he's beat. He's not the only one, either. Trudging in, he spots Charity and Kwang Soo draped listlessly across the couches, both staring at the ceiling.

"Hey," they both say in unison, not so much as glancing his way.

He feels some previously unnoticed tension in his body release with relief at the thought of spending an evening exactly that way, with exactly those two people. Tossing his bag on the floor, he makes his way into the living room.

"Make space," he demands.

Kwang Soo instantly moves to pull his legs off the couch, half sitting, but Jong Kook heads to Charity's couch instead. She, of course, hasn't moved at all, so he reaches down and lifts her torso off the cushions, sliding his body beneath her and settling her back down across his legs. He uses an arm to gather her up against his chest. She remains bonelessly limp throughout his maneuvers, not helping but not fighting him, either.

Kwang Soo freezes in an awkward position, one leg still lifted to make room for Jong Kook. Charity yawns, oblivious, and leans her head against Jong Kook's chest. Jong Kook silently raises an eyebrow at Kwang Soo, who slowly lets his leg drop back to the couch.

Before Kwang Soo can say anything, Charity speaks, her eyes closed. "Today sucked. What are you all doing tonight?"

"You're looking at it," responds Kwang Soo, resettling himself along the entire length of the couch, though he doesn't once take his eyes from Jong Kook's.

"No plans," agrees Jong Kook, stretching out his legs to cross his ankles on the coffee table.

"Get your feet off my table, you ingrate," Charity says without opening her eyes. He immediately pulls them down and shifts on the couch, smoothly rearranging both her and his own body. He leans back against the arm of the couch and slides one leg on either side of Charity, pulling her close so they're now back to chest, reclined.

"What is... happening here?," Kwang Soo asks, deep suspicion coming across clearly. "Are you two... did you... what is  _happening_  here?"

"Kwang Soo, noth -- " Jong Kook starts, wanting to reassure his friend who is so weirdly paranoid about Charity and her place in Korea and anything that might upset it.

"Yeah, we did." Charity breaks in. She still isn't moving or opening her eyes.

"You did  _what_?," Kwang Soo asks for clarification.

"Lots of stuff," she replies simply.

"WHAT KIND OF STUFF?" Kwang Soo is suddenly high pitched, but Charity remains calm, laying an arm over her closed eyes.

"Charity -- Kwang Soo --," Jong Kook starts to intervene. Charity ignores him.

"Oh, you know. The usual. Dragged him to the bedroom, husked him like a corn."

"LIKE A CORN! CHERRY. You  _didn't_ ," Kwang Soo breathes.

"Oh, who cares," Charity says lazily from behind her arm. 

"I do!," Kwang Soo exclaims. 

Jong Kook stays silent, interested in how all this will play out. Kwang Soo has made it clear that he didn't want Jong Kook doing anything that might drive Charity away, and also that he doesn't care for her extracurricular activities. He wonders if combining the two will send him through the roof like a leggy rocket.

Charity finally moves her arm away and turns her head against Jong Kook's chest, opening her eyes to look at Kwang Soo.

"Why?," she asks, seeming genuinely curious.

Kwang Soo darts his eyes to Jong Kook and then back to Charity. "You know I need to keep staying here," he says cryptically. Jong Kook can tell this is something they've discussed before.

"So keep staying here." She shrugs and turns her face back toward the ceiling.

"But what if you two get -- "

"That has nothing to do with you," Charity breaks in firmly. "And we won't," she says, even more firmly.

Jong Kook is slightly offended at her absolute certainty about their future or apparent lack thereof. Not that he necessarily  _wants_  one with her, either, but still. It's nice to be wanted, at least.

"How do you know, though?" Kwang Soo insists. "He's very handsome."

Jong Kook launches a throw pillow at Kwang Soo, which he neatly dodges.

"Because he's got that whole soulmate thing going on," she says, muffled as she retreats behind her arm again.

"Oh? OH. He told you about that?"

"Mm." 

"But you're still... like a  _corn_?"

"Who cares?," she repeats again. 

"Well, she might," Kwang Soo says dubiously.

"They're not together yet, are they?"

They're speaking as if Jong Kook isn't even in the room, but here Kwang Soo looks to him for confirmation. Jong Kook shakes his head.

"See?," Charity says, feeling the movement. "So who cares?"

"But they will be," Kwang Soo says.

"I know," she replies. "Then he can be someone else's corn."

She sits up suddenly, startling Jong Kook with the movement.

"Let's go out," she says decisively. "Both of you get dressed." She stands and they stare at her. "Go."

They open their mouths to protest, but she's already marching toward the stairs. 

She's halfway up when she calls back down over her shoulder, "And Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Invite your new husker."


	45. Night Out

Less than an hour later, the three are gathered - some of them somewhat reluctantly - in the foyer of Charity’s apartment. Jong Kook has exchanged his gym shorts and tank top for jeans and a button down. Kwang Soo has chosen a similar outfit. Charity, in her usual torn skinny jeans and loose, drapey top, is fixing her lipstick in the mirror by the stairs. Jong Kook eyes her up and down.

“What?,” she asks, looking at him.

“Is that what you’re wearing?”

“... clearly.” She turns back to the mirror, giving Jong Kook a straight on view of the back of her black top, full of slashes and slits, nearly exposing the entirety of her spine from the nape of her neck to her lower back. He’s honestly not totally sure what’s even holding the shirt together.

“But you’re not… what are you… how are you…” He stumbles over his words and she turns to him again, eyebrow quirked questioningly.

“Cherry,” Kwang Soo breaks in to help his friend. “Where’s your… you know.” He cups his hands at his chest and mimes jiggling.

Charity grins at him and winks at Jong Kook, but says nothing. Jong Kook scowls.

“Can’t you put on something else? We have time.”

“Nah,” she responds, taking a last look in the mirror and sliding her lipstick into her purse. “Did you call her?”

“What?” He’s startled by the sudden change of subject and not quite ready to move on from Charity’s not-shirt. “Oh. Yeah. She’s going to try to make it for an hour or so.”

Jong Kook has been surprised that Hannah had agreed to come out for the night, considering how busy she is. On top of that, clubs don’t really seem like her scene, either. He almost hadn’t texted her at all, but decided to go ahead and do so to keep her aware of his level of interest in seeing her more frequently. She’d actually seemed enthusiastic and is going to try to break away for a bit to get a break from a long day.

“ _Try_? For an _hour_?” Charity rolls her eyes.

“Well, she’s working and in school,” Jong Kook starts defensively.

Charity’s eyebrows shoot up. “In _school_? She’s still in _school_?”

“It’s a long post-grad program!”

“Oh.” Charity’s own defensive posture loosens almost before he has time to register it. “Good. You know 40 year old men who date women half their age are creepy.”

He rolls his eyes at her but agrees.

“And you?” She tips her head back on her shoulders and abruptly addresses Kwang Soo.

“Huh? Me?” He looks down at Charity from where he’s standing over her, fussing with his hair in the mirror.

“Did you text him?”

“Oh. Joongki. Yeah, he’s already out for the night and he’ll meet us.”

“Great!” Charity is too enthused for Jong Kook’s liking.

“You know Joongki, or are you just a fan girl?,” he asks a bit bitingly.

“Both!,” she says brightly, ignoring his tone and shoving them toward the door. “Can you two go pull the car up front? I want to change really quickly. I’ll meet you down there.”

Jong Kook mentally fist pumps and extends a hand to catch the keys she tosses. Without waiting for an answer, she’s thumping back up the stairs toward her room.

Jong Kook and Kwang Soo head for the elevator.

“I didn’t think you’d be up for a club, hyung.”

Jong Kook shrugs. “Something to do. What about you, though? It’s not your thing, either.”

Kwang Soo also shrugs and looks away as the elevator arrives with a soft ding.

“Is it because you want to be around Charity?,” Jong Kook asks, suddenly feeling a bit ill.

Kwang Soo shrugs again, still not looking at Jong Kook, who is suddenly suffused with shame.

“Kwang Soo…,” Jong Kook says. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to do _anything_ , it just happened. I’m sorry. If you’re interested in Charity, I’ll stop… you know.” He looks at his feet, mentally berating himself for not considering the niggling feeling he’d been having about Kwang Soo’s interest in Charity.

Kwang Soo looks at him now. “No, hyung, it’s not that. I’m not -- I don’t like her. I mean, I like her, but I don’t _like_ her. I just… want to be where she is.” He doesn’t explain further.

Jong Kook is silent for a moment as the elevator finishes its descent and they exit into the parking garage, too relieved to question Kwang Soo's evasiveness. They approach the car and get in, Jong Kook in the driver’s seat. Once settled, Kwang Soo turns toward Jong Kook as he starts the car.

“Hyung… are _you_ coming out tonight because _you_ want to spend time around Cherry?”

Jong Kook shifts in the seat as he backs out of the parking spot, not answering immediately.

“Oh,” Kwang Soo breathes. “Is that it?”

Jong Kook sighs. “No. I mean, yes, but no. I don’t know.” He blows out a frustrated breath and runs his hand through his hair as he navigates toward the front of the building to wait for Charity. He’s quiet for a moment as he pulls up to the curb and puts the car in park.

“I think… you know, I think it’s the whole _finality_ of the Hannah thing.”

Kwang Soo watches him carefully, waiting.

“I just… I don’t know. I’ve got to tell Hannah this whole thing, and I was talking through it with Charity, and there was this moment, and… I don’t know! Stuff just happened!” He’s staring through the windshield, not looking at Kwang Soo.

“Hyung, do you like Cherry?”

“Is it so wrong to want to hang out with her?,” he ignores the question and knows he sounds defensive.

“No,” Kwang Soo allows, settling back in his seat. “But… Hannah’s coming tonight, too.”

“So? It’s not like I’m dating either of them,” he responds bitterly.

“Do you want to be dating one of them? Or maybe a better question is, _which_ one of them do you want to be dating?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jong Kook replies. “I think Charity is going to try to force me to tell Hannah tonight.”

“Well, you should have told her by now, anyway,” Kwang Soo reasons.

“But she knows what it means if I tell Hannah. If she’s pushing me to tell her, then obviously it’s a moot point who I like or don’t like or want to date or don’t want to date.”

“You think if Cherry is encouraging you to connect with your soulmate, that means she doesn’t want you for herself.”

“Well, yeah, that’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Kwang Soo doesn’t respond for a long moment. He finally says quietly, “But do you _like_ Cherry?”

Now it’s Jong Kook’s turn not to answer. Staring out the front window, he sees Charity exit the building. His feelings for her - if you can call them feelings - are all jumbled up in the Hannah mess. Just when he’s confused and sorting his feelings out about one woman in one tough situation, another swoops in to do… what she does. And he can’t deny he more than enjoys the time he spends with Charity. Not just in the bedroom, but around the house. Lounging on the couches  with Kwang Soo in the evenings. Chatting over the kitchen island in the mornings eating eggs. Watching her spend time with her daughter. But even now, it’s impossible to tell if he feels actual feelings for her, or if his confusion over Hannah is reflecting into his interactions with Charity. Hanging out with Charity feels easy and comfortable compared to his time with Hannah, which he spends comparing her to the idea he had of her, planning out how to tell her what he needs to tell her, wondering what she thinks of him. By the time Charity reaches the car, he’s got himself mostly convinced that his growing fondness for her is more a result of the sharp contrast between her and Hannah and his time with them. Of course Charity feels appealing right now. There’s no weight on his shoulders when they’re talking, there’s no pressure to figure out the next step, there’s no anticipation of the future. There’s just him and her and what’s going on in the moment. And in the end, that’s the difference between Hannah and Charity - one is the future and one is the moment.

As Charity slides into the car, he very nearly believes what he’s been telling himself, until she turns to buckle her seatbelt. He watches in the rearview mirror as she angles her body to the side, her back tilting toward him just a bit. Through the slits in the back of her not-shirt, he can see a flash of bright blue, a thick bandeau in place where there’d previously been nothing but bare skin.


	46. But...

It’s still fairly early when they arrive at the club, but it’s crowded nonetheless. They’re barely in the door when Charity taps Jong Kook’s arm to get his attention over the loud music.

“I’m going to the bar!,” she yells to be heard. “Bring her to me when you find her!” She gives him a small shove forward and vanishes into the crowd, making her way to the bar.

Jong Kook and Kwang Soo stand dumbly for a moment, watching her go then looking at each other. They shrug at each other.

Kwang Soo leans down close to Jong Kook’s ear. “I’ll go find Joongki. Want to just meet over by the bar when you’ve got Hannah?”

Jong Kook nods, not bothering to attempt to be heard over the music. The two go their separate ways.

Jong Kook looks down at his phone to see if Hannah has messaged, but the notifications are blank. Figuring it can’t be too hard to find a tall, white, light-haired woman in the crowd, he starts making his way methodically around the perimeter of the dance floor. He knows what’s going to happen when he finds her. He’ll take her over to Charity and Charity will force his hand. He half doesn’t know why he’s going along with it, and is half relieved that all of this will finally be over. He admits to himself that it’s kind of a weak way out, to let Charity to the work for him, but at least it’s a way out.

He scans the dance floor again as he circles. It’s packed with bodies already, but he doesn’t see Hannah. He circles twice more, and on his third go round, he finally spots her close to the entrance, looking around. They smile at each other as their eyes catch and he makes his way toward her.

“Hey!,” he says, leaning in to give her a quick one-armed hug around the shoulders. “You came!”

“I said I would!,” she replies, grinning at him. “I haven’t been to a club in Korea yet and wanted to check it out.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it.” He takes a half-step back, all the crowd will allow. “You look great.” She’s wearing tall strappy sandals in a bright pink color. They perfectly match her dress, a fitted sleeveless sheath that comes up high on her chest and just a hair under too high on her thighs.

“You, too!,” she says, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Let’s dance!”

“Already?,” Jong Kook asks. “Don’t you want a drink or anything?”

“I don’t drink!,” she reminds him. “And I can’t stay out too long, so I want to get the most out of it. I know I haven’t been here long, but it seriously feels like _months_ since I did anything fun. I’m giving myself one hour exactly to cut loose. Come on!” She grabs him by the hand and tugs him on to the dance floor.

Jong Kook’s dancing is stiff and self-conscious, but Hannah doesn’t seem to notice. She dances easily. Nothing flashy or scandalous, but her body is loose and moves fluidly near his. Other men continuously attempt to cut in and she favors them all with her standard mega-watt smile, but keeps herself firmly in Jong Kook’s space, gracefully turning them down without embarrassing anyone or hurting any feelings. He never has to step in to put a halt to anyone getting too fresh or too close, she handles it all on her own. Jong Kook is once again impressed just watching her, how well she interacts with everyone, how friendly she is in every situation.

It doesn’t take long to get hot and sweaty on the crowded dance floor. After about thirty minutes, Hannah taps on Jong Kook’s arm and gestures off the floor. He nods and takes her by the elbow, carefully clearing a path for them to exit. They make their way toward one of the ends of the bar, farthest from the dance floor.

“Do you want a bottle of water or anything?,” he asks her, and she nods gratefully.

“That would be perfect,” she says. “I’m having so much fun!” She enthusiastically throws her arms around him for a quick hug and he smiles. “Thanks for inviting me out tonight. Thanks for inviting me places even though I’m a terrible friend who is always busy.”

He shakes his head and smiles. “Any time you’ve got the time,” he says. Then he takes a deep breath. “Hey, I came here with some friends and I want to introduce you.” He leans forward to get a look down the long bar. He spies Charity all the way at the other end, talking animatedly to someone who has his back toward Jong Kook.

“Sure!,” Hannah agrees. “Your friends are great. Lead the way!”

Jong Kook steels himself and takes her hand, threading his way through the masses of people clamoring for a drink at the bar. Hannah follows through the path he cuts, taking advantage of how people move aside for his broad shoulders.

Jong Kook’s feet feel heavier with every step. He knows what he’s walking into, and wills himself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Just 30 more steps and this is over. Just 20 more steps and it’s done.

When he’s counted himself down to 10 steps, the crowd thins a bit, giving him a clear view of Charity sitting on a bar stool next to a man in a leather jacket. She’s laughing at something he’s saying and leans forward to put her hand on his shoulder, twisting toward him. Jong Kook catches the flash of bright blue at her back. The man she’s with lifts his head as the bartender approaches with a drink and takes it, then sets it in front of Charity. He drops one hand to rest low on her waist as he uses the other to reach into his pocket. Charity leans to thank him and Jong Kook catches that flash of blue again.

Suddenly, his ears are roaring. He can’t hear the music anymore, or feel Hannah behind him. Before he knows what’s happening, he’s by Charity’s side in a blink, sliding his own credit card into the bartender’s hand before Leather Jacket can pay.

“Hey, man, what the --” Leather Jacket starts, annoyed.

“Thanks.” Jong Kook plasters a broad, fake smile across his face.

Charity, already sipping the drink, turns on her stool. “Oh, hey, when did you get here? Have you met my friend… uh… my friend?” She gestures to Leather Jacket.

“Nope.” Jong Kook says tensely, eyes locked on the other man.

“Oh, well. We were just getting to know each other,” Charity says, focused on her drink, which is clearly not her first, as she’s completely oblivious to the unspoken communication going on between the two men.

Leather Jacket breaks eye contact first. “Hey, I’m going to run to the bathroom. When I get back, do you want to… “ He trails off and Charity nods and waves him off.

As he leaves, she turns to Jong Kook. “Hey, you and Kwang Soo have the car keys, right? Just leave it parked in the usual spot. Thanks!” She pats him on the shoulder.

“You’re not coming with us?,” he says in a dangerously low tone, but she doesn’t pick up on it.

“Mm,” she replies around her straw. “I’ll see you in the morning, though. Hey, did you bring your --” She’s craning her neck to look around Jong Kook when he grabs her by the chin and turns her face toward his. “Hey!”

“You’re coming home with us tonight, Charity.” He’s still feeling the white hot rage that exploded out of nowhere thrumming through his veins.

“No, I’m not,” she disagrees, and reaches up to pry his hand from her jaw. “But I’ll see you. In the morning,” she says deliberately as she frees herself. He grabs hold of her wrist instead.

“You don’t even know his _name_ ,” he growls.

“So? He doesn’t know mine, either. So we’re even.”

Jong Kook can see that she truly believes what she’s saying makes total sense.

“Charity, you can’t just keep --”

“Can. Will. Let me go.”

He keeps his grip on her wrist, knowing he’s being insane and acting totally out of character. Putting his hands on a woman so aggressively, forcing her to do anything, it’s not like him at all. But he can’t stop himself. Charity will _not_ be leaving with Leather Jacket, not a chance in hell.

Charity’s using her free hand to try to throw her purse over her shoulder and finish her drink, making a clumsy mess of both. Over the top of her head, Jong Kook spots Leather Jacket approaching on his return from the bathroom. He makes eye contact and holds it. When he knows he has Leather Jacket’s attention, he shakes his head back and forth slowly, funneling all his aggression into his stare to get his message across. It must have worked, because Leather Jacket turns on his heel and vanishes back into the crowd without another word of protest. Jong Kook feels a small bit of the tension coiled inside of him loosen.

He looks back down at Charity. “He’s not coming back, so just finish your drink, I’ll get Kwang Soo, and we’ll go.”

“He’s not -- what did you say to him, Kim Jong Kook-ssi? I was _right here_.” She seems genuinely puzzled, then her face softens into a smile. Jong Kook is about to smile back when he sees she’s focused on a man all the way on the other side of the giant square bar, a man who is gesturing to his drink and looking at her questioningly. She nods and tilts her head to beckon him over.

Jong Kook grits his teeth and tries to send the same glare to the new suitor as he had to Leather Jacket. He shakes his head at him, but the man slides off his stool with a smirk anyway and moves away from the bar, clearly heading their way. Jong Kook seizes Charity’s other wrist, making her drink slosh.

“Hey!,” she exclaims. “I’m drinking that.”

He uses his own hand to direct hers to the surface of the bar and glares at her until she sets the drink down. Anger is finally seeping through her alcohol-fueled haze and she glares right back at him, eyes flashing. He knows this Charity. He’s semi-comfortable with this Charity. He can work with angry Charity.

“Look at me,” he says intensely, leaning his face close to hers. “You are not. Going home. With anyone.”

Tension is crackling between the two of them so plainly that they must appear to be glowing to those waiting for drinks nearby.

“Hey,” a voice suddenly says, and a body slides smoothly between them, breaking the moment. An arm is flung over each of their shoulders. “Just what’s happening here?” The tone is light but a hint of concern runs through it.

“Joongki!,” Charity exclaims, finally shaking her hands loose from Jong Kook’s grasp to fling them around the intruder. “How have you been? _Where_ have you been? You haven’t been by in ages!,” she says accusingly.

“Busy! Just a little busy! I promise I’ll come by soon, though.”

“Tomorrow,” Charity insists.

“Okay, tomorrow, noona,” he says agreeably. “Where’s Kwang Soo? And what is going on with you two?” Joongki looks back and forth between the two of them, extending a hand to give Jong Kook a quick fist bump in friendly greeting.

“I --” Jong Kook starts.

“HE,” Charity breaks in, turning Joongki to face her and nudging Jong Kook aside with her shoulder, excluding him, “is spilling my drink and chasing away men!” Her look of outrage is so exaggerated it’s comical and Jong Kook hides a grin with his hand, feeling his anger ebb away.

“Oh, is he?” Joongki says in faux-shock, pulling Charity against his chest. He pats her hair. “There, there. He’s always been a bully, you know that?,” he says soothingly, but gives Jong Kook a thumbs up over the top of her head. “I can’t believe he gets away with behaving like he does.” He extends his hand for another fist bump with Jong Kook behind Charity’s back, and Jong Kook barely stifles his laughter.

“RIGHT?,” Charity pulls her head back to look up at Joongki. “He’s being so -- what are you doing?,” she asks, suddenly suspicious.

Joongki, who had been using a free had to wave off the man from the other side of the bar, quickly brings it to his hair to smooth it. “Nothing,” he says, his baby face the picture of innocence.

Charity looks back and forth between the two of them for a long moment. “This is why I go out alone,” she says, and slides off her bar stool. She adjusts her purse over her shoulder. “I’m going -- wait, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Did she come? Where is she?”

Jong Kook’s eyes widen in alarm as he’s suddenly snapped back to reality. Hannah. Right behind him. He whirls around, already mentally scrambling for a way to explain what just happened, but she’s not there. He cranes his neck around, trying to catch sight of her.

"She was right here," he says dumbly.

Joongki looks around, too. "Who was?"

"A woman. Tall, pretty, pink dress, big smile. Do you see her?"

"Blonde?," Joongki asks.

"Well, blonde-ish," he agrees. "Where?" He looks in the same direction Joongki is facing, but sees no one.

"Think I saw her on my way over," Joongki replies. "She was on her way out, though. She was with you? Sorry, hyung." Joongki smiles a bit bashfully, but Jong Kook doesn't buy it for a second. "I may have offered to buy her a drink."

"She's gone?," Jong Kook asks, ignoring Joongki's admission.

"Mm," Joongki nods. "She told me she doesn't drink, and she was sorry, but something had come up and she was actually leaving right then. Big smile, you're right."

Relief and shame wash over Jong Kook all at once. Relief because he doesn’t have to tell her here, in this club, under Charity’s watchful eye. Relief that she might not have caught that whole scene with Charity. Shame that he forgot she was there. Shame that he didn’t notice her leave. Shame that he’s relieved in the first place.

Charity rolls her eyes. “Figures,” she sighs.

Joongki raises a questioning eyebrow at Jong Kook, but he shakes his head, not in the mood to explain. Charity starts to wriggle out from between them.

“I’m going,” she says. “I’ll see you both at home tomorrow.” She moves to step away and Jong Kook catches her with an arm around her waist, stepping in front of her to block her path. Even as she took her first step away from them, she was already glancing around the bar, probably for the next willing target, and Jong Kook felt the anger flicker again. He fills her view with his chest. As she attempts again to step away, his arm turns to an iron bar around her and presses her against him.

“Hyung, what is going on here?,” Joongki asks, that concern back in his voice.

“You bring a car?,” Jong Kook says abruptly.

“I did, but --”

“Can you take Kwang Soo home with you tonight?”

“I can, but --”

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Jong Kook says, whipping around, moving so quickly through the crowd, his arm so tight around Charity’s waist, her feet barely touch the ground, and he has them out the door before she can say another word.

“But…” Joongki is left standing at the bar, staring after them.


	47. Quiet Time

Charity sits in the passenger seat of her own car, arms crossed tightly across her chest. She’s staring out the window, deliberately away from Kim Jong Kook.

Jong Kook knows she’s mad, but doesn’t care. The relief from earlier hasn’t worn off, and the absence of burning rage feels like bubbles rising up in him. He’s nearly giddy, his mood a complete opposite of Charity’s own.

“I’m not going to have sex with you, you know,” she says abruptly.

“All right,” he answers agreeably.

“I’m serious. I’m not going to.”

“That’s just fine.”

“I mean it, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. I’m not having sex with you.”

“I believe you.” He can tell she’s aggravated and pushing him for a response, but isn’t rising to the bait. He’s honestly not bothered by her statements at all, just happy to be out of the club, out of the situation, and on their way home.

She huffs out an angry breath.

“What the hell, man?”

Jong Kook shrugs and she turns to look at him. They stop at a red light and he turns his head to smile at her. She huffs again and turns away.

They ride in silence to Charity’s apartment and all the way back upstairs. She waits for him to open the door, then storms in past him, throwing her purse to the ground and flinging herself onto one of the couches. She drapes an arm over her eyes.

Jong Kook watches her with amusement, finding that he’s suddenly unruffled by her more angry moods. He takes the time to pick up her purse from the floor and hang it on the banister, then goes to the kitchen. Fetching two bottles of water, a bottle of soju, and a shot glass, he heads over to the living area and sits on the couch opposite her. He opens all three bottles, keeps a bottle of water for himself, and sets the rest on the coffee table between the two couches.

She lifts her arm and peeks out from beneath it.

“Your choice,” he says, gesturing to the water and soju.

With a glare, she snatches up the soju and shot glass. Jong Kook tsks and takes the bottle from her, pouring her a shot. She stares at him as she drains it and holds out the glass for another.

“I’m not having sex with you,” she says as he pours.

“So you’ve said.”

“As long as we’re clear.”

“Crystal clear,” he agrees. “But…,” he starts.

She raises a brow at him as she drains the second shot and pours herself a third.

“You _were_ going to have sex with someone tonight, right?”

She shrugs, then nods. “Yeah, probably.”

“So why _not_ me? I mean, I’m not saying we _should_. Just… why someone else?”

“I don’t _generally_ have sex with men who carry me out of clubs against my will.”

“Well, one, you were going to have sex with someone else before I did that. And two, you could have stayed.”

“You _carried me out_!,” she exclaims, eyes burning at him.

He ignores her flare of temper. “That I did,” he agrees, taking a sip of his water. “But then you waited at the valet stand with me while they fetched the car. And you got in the car. And you didn’t tell me to turn around. And you didn’t ask to be let out anywhere on the way.”

“Yes, well…,” she trails off and scowls, going straight for the bottle instead of the shot glass this time.

“Yes, well,” he says back, grinning.

“It’s not because I wanted to have sex with _you_ ,” she states adamantly.

“I’ve gotten the point. But my question remains, why someone else if I’m right here?”

She sighs deeply and rubs her hands over her face. When she pulls them away, she notices the makeup smeared all over them. She stands. “I’m going to wash my face.”

He stands, too. “I’ll come with you.”

She rolls her eyes and stalks away. Instead of heading up the stairs, she goes into the guest bathroom in the hall, wobbling ever so slightly on her way.

“Your sink broken again?,” he asks.

“Always,” she groans. “Fucking thing. Sorry.”

He doesn’t comment and follows her into the bathroom, flicking on the light.

She looks at herself in the mirror for a moment, then meets his eyes in the glass. He breaks the silent eye contact first, rummaging through the bottles and tubs on the counter.

“This one first, right?,” he asks, twisting the silver lid off a squat purple jar and handing it to her.

She eyes him in surprise but nods, taking it from him. He watches her spread a white paste over her face, rubbing it in. The makeup smears more, but clean skin is revealed underneath. Once satisfied, she leans over to rinse.

“Did you find her?,” she asks abruptly.

“Yeah, she had to leave.”

“Really? Are you sure you didn’t just chicken out?” Her voice is burbly through the water running over her face. He passes her a towel.

“Can we talk about her tomorrow, when you sober?”

“Sure,” she replies, and he’s shocked she drops it so easily.

“Back to what we were talking about.” He passes her the next step in her nightly skincare routine and leans his hips against the counter next to her. 

“What’s that?,” she asks. Her eyes are getting hazier and he knows those last few pulls on the soju bottle are settling in.

“Why someone else, if I’m right here?” He braces himself to be shouted at, for some kind of snarky reply.

She bends over the sink again. “You know, I was a virgin when I met my husband?”

“I -- wha -- I, no, no, I didn’t know that.” He’s taken aback. That wasn’t what he was expecting. For one, the volume and vitriol were entirely absent. For another, she very rarely mentions her husband. In fact, not at all since the day Miranda and Zoe left.

“Mm.” She nods and takes another bottle from his hand.

“So you’re… what? Making up for lost time?”

She laughs lightly. “Something like that.”

“Explain.”

She looks at him intensely, clearly deciding whether to tell him to fuck off or not. She finally shrugs. “You know.” She shrugs again. “It’s been a rough… little while. He died. I miss my kid. I’ve had a lot going on. And when I’m alone, I just… _think_. Think about all of it.”

Jong Kook considers pressing for more details on “all of it,” but decides on a different tactic. If she’s talking about herself, he’s got to make the best use of his questions while it lasts.

“So it’s something you do to keep busy?”

“Sort of,” she says from behind the towel. “Can you hand me my toothbrush?”

He obligingly passes it to her. After watching her fumble repeatedly trying to apply to toothpaste, he takes it back and does it for her before handing it over again.

“Dah, and compahisih,” she says around a mouthful of foam.

“Companionship?,” he translates.

“Mm.” She nods and spits. 

“Forgive me for rehashing, but… sex and companionship. Like I said before, not to be presumptuous about our relationship --” he rolls his eyes as she breaks in with a snort “-- but I’m right here.”

“Yeah, for _now_ ,” she says quickly, then suddenly turns her back to him. “Aside from that,” she follows up immediately, not looking at him, “that’s the problem. You’re right _here_. All the time.” She tosses the towel on the counter and brushes by him out of the bathroom, heading back to the couch.

He follows a moment later. By the time he gets there, she has the half bottle of soju half gone.

“So…,” he says slowly. “Do you want me to leave? Is that it?”

“Not at all.” She finishes the bottle. She starts to stand and he pushes her back down with a hand on her shoulder, then sits next to her. He hands her the second bottle of water. 

“Joongki is coming tomorrow, you don’t want to be hungover.”

She gives him a look but takes the bottle anyway.

“That’ll be nice. I do like Joongki.”

He leans back on the couch and rests his arms along it, surprising at the flicker of annoyance he feels at her affection for Joongki.

“Would you rather he stayed here instead of me?,” he asks, rather petulantly. He regrets it as soon as the words are out of his mouth, but she’s slowing down now, eyes heavy, not paying as much attention.

“Nah, nah. You’re fine here. I don’t mind at all.”

“You just said that the problem is that I’m always here.”

“That’s the problem with having _sex_ with you, not a problem in general.”

“I’m not following.”

“Having sex with someone, then waking up and they’re still there, eating with them, hanging out… it’s not really my thing.”

“Seems to have been going fine enough.”

She doesn’t respond to that, but leans back against his arm, kicking her feet up on the coffee table.

“Get your feet off the table, you ingrate,” he says, mimicking her from earlier in the evening.

“You’re not an ingrate if it’s your own table,” she replies, eyes closed.

“What’s wrong with that?,” he asks.

“What, my coffee table?”

“No, with hanging out with the same person you’re having sex with.”

“Relationships, you mean.”

“Well, sure, if you want to put a label on it.”

“Relationships…” She takes a deep breath, sighs. “Come with obligations.”

“Is that so bad?”

“Not entirely.” Her voice is getting softer and her head drops against his shoulder. “But when you start making _big_ compromises for another person, that’s when bitterness and resentment set in. Been there, done it, not going back.”

“Making sacrifices is part of a relationship,” he says reasonably.

“Exactly,” she replies. “So why start one if I don’t want that?”

“I’m not trying to argue with you, Charity, but you’re kind of one of the most sacrificing people I know. I mean, I haven’t seen you give anyone a kidney or anything, but doing things for people, caring for them… it’s kind of naturally you.”

“I don’t mind sacrificing for people I care about. I don’t want people sacrificing for _me_.”

“There’s obviously some kind of reason for that, right?”

She sinks deeper into the couch. She’s quiet for so long Jong Kook begins to suspect she’s asleep. 

“I was a virgin when I met my husband,” she suddenly repeats, so quietly and slurred now that he has to lean his head closer to hers to hear her. “We were really great friends for a long time. Best friends, really. We started dating, just to kind of see what it was like. I got pregnant and I didn’t know what to do. We got married. We hadn’t even been dating long. We both had other plans, him especially. I was kind of at loose ends, really. So mostly his plans.” She yawns and trails off for a bit.

Jong Kook waits.

“Anyway,” she finally starts again with a little jolt. “We knew pretty much right away that being married to each other… while not a _bad_ thing at all, we were best friends after all… wasn’t really what either of us wanted. But we both had kind of messed up home lives. We wanted our kid to have a family. So he said to me, we’ll stay together until she’s 18.”

Jong Kook reaches over to the end of the couch and grabs a throw pillow, laying it on his lap and maneuvering her head down onto it. Her eyes are still closed as he adjusts her fairly limp body.

“At first I didn’t agree, but he convinced me it was what he wanted to do and it would be fine. It wasn’t, and it kind of wasn’t fine.”

Jong Kook nods, even though she can’t see him. “And that makes you not want to be in a relationship ever again? That’s kind of extreme.”

Her forehead wrinkles a little and he smooths it with a finger. 

“Being the source of someone’s unhappiness is not a good feeling, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

“Seriously, with the Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Can you knock that off?”

She cracks an eye. “What should I call you? _Oppa_?,” she asks in a sickeningly sweet tone, the corners of her mouth twitching.

“Well, not like _that_ ,” he grumbles.

She chuckles lightly then yawns again, hugely. “Sorry to dump my life story on you.” She turns onto her side, her face to his stomach.

He looks down at her. “I asked,” he says. “So you’re not going to have sex with me anymore?” He knows he sounds disappointed, but why not? He _is_ disappointed.

“You need to get on the ball with your girl.”

“I don’t really _need_ to, not right this second.”

She suddenly sits up, though the motion clearly dizzies her. “You can’t just leave someone else’s life hanging in the balance indefinitely. Hers _or_ your own.” 

He moves her back into a prone position, tucking her back onto her side.

“Not forever,” he hedges.

“What?,” she says, garbled and sleepy. “Just a little longer so we can have more sex?”

“No, it’s not that.” It’s that. “It’s…,” he trails off, looking down at her, trying to think of a way to explain himself. The moments stretch out and her breathing deepens and evens. He carefully maneuvers himself out from under her, then lifts her in his arms, heading for the stairs.

Suddenly remembering what she said to him the first night they met, or at least the first night they met that he remembers, he wheels on his heel. “Stay out of my room,” she had said clearly. Not wanting to risk getting back on her bad side after making some small inroads with getting to know her better, he carries her across the apartment instead. He debates for a moment between his own room and Kwang Soo’s before finally carrying her to his bed and laying her down carefully.

He stands over her for a long time, watching her sleep.

“It’s not that,” he eventually finishes to her sleeping form. “It’s that I like you.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Five more chapters, guys! See you again soon!


	48. My boys want eggs.

“Cherry!”

“Eggs!”

“Cherry!”

“Eggs!”

The alternating voices chanting from the main rooms of the apartment slowly wake Jong Kook. He blinks his eyes groggily. They feel sandy, a result of getting no more than an hour or two of sleep. After standing over Charity silently for longer than was even at the edge of the realm of normal, he’d slid into bed beside her. At first, he laid awake with his mind racing at his earlier realization, but came to terms with that more quickly than he understood. After that, he just couldn’t fall asleep, certain she’d get up and leave sometime in the night. 

He did eventually drift off, though, at least enough to be so rudely awakened now. He moves to reach for his phone to check for the time.

“Oh?,” he says, finding the movement blocked. To his surprise, Charity is still curled up against his side. She had moved around a lot through the night, clearly a restless sleeper, but had settled up against him sometime around dawn. He assumes he fell asleep shortly after that.

She starts to stir as the demand for eggs grows louder and more insistent, and he reflexively tightens his arm around her, pulling her close. He turns from his back to his side so they’re face to face, and tucks her head into his chest.

“Mmph,” he hears from under his chin, and he grips her more firmly.

“Five more minutes,” he says sleepily, allowing his eyes to fall shut again.

“Mmph!,” more insistent this time, and he wraps his arms around her head.

“Shh,” he tells her.

She wrestles her head loose and he braces himself. They stare at each other for a moment, nose to nose.

“The boys want eggs.”

He blinks at her, taken aback, then gathers himself and wraps his arms around her head again.

“They’re adults. Let them get their own eggs.”

She pops out again. “Hey! My Joongki and Kwang Soo want eggs!” She wriggles and worms herself down the bed, out of the loop of his arms. “I’m going to make them eggs.” She stands and grabs her jeans from the floor where he’d tossed them the previous night before crawling into bed himself. Pulling them on, she says, “You want eggs? I know you love my… _eggs_.” She gives him an over exaggerated wink and he laughs, flopping onto his back on the bed.

“What’s with you this morning?,” he can’t help asking.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re here, for one thing.”

“I live here.”

“You don’t stay over.”

“This is my house, I’m staying over regardless, remember?”

“You know what I mean.”

She sighs and ties up her hair with a ponytail holder from around her wrist. “Don’t try to make everything into a _thing_ , Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Quit thinking so much.”

“I thought we agreed on _oppa_.” He mimics her tone from their chat after the club. She snatches a pillow from the floor and whips it at his head.

“That’ll be the day,” she snorts.

“Seriously, though,” he starts, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Just a little longer, right?,” she interrupts. 

“What?”

“One more day. You’re doing this tomorrow. Just one more day.” She looks at him pointedly, then turns and pulls his bedroom door open. He can hear Joongki exclaim as she exits his room instead of coming down the stairs, and she shuts the door behind her.

He flops back to the bed, turning over what she just said. One more day? Realization slowly dawns on him with a combination of glee and dread. One more day to spend with Charity, then tomorrow, the rest of his life.

Her head suddenly pops back around the doorframe. 

“Get up! Eggs!”

* * *

 

When Jong Kook exits his room 15 minutes later, Kwang Soo and Joongki are seated at the island counter in the kitchen, and Charity is in her usual place near the stove, cooking. Both men turn their heads as Jong Kook approaches, and chorus, “Morning, hyung.”

“Good morning,” he replies, rounding the counter to stand near Charity. She looks up at him.

“Hungry?,” she asks.

He nods, watching her cook. He scoots a bit closer, leaning his hip against hers. Joongki narrows his eyes at the two of them.

“So,” Joongki says. “This is happening?”

“What?,” Charity asks, looking over her shoulder at him.

Joonki points back and forth between her and Jong Kook. “This. This is happening?”

“No,” Charity says, turning back to the stove, just as Jong Kook slides his arm around her waist.

“Yes,” he speaks over her. She gives him an incredulous look. He pulls her closer and leans down to touch his forehead to hers. “You said one more day.”

“Yeah, I meant like, we’d have sex one more time.”

Joongki sputters on his orange juice. “One more time?,” he exclaims, wiping his chin with his hand. Kwang Soo sighs and drops his head to the counter. “One more time, as in, it’s happened before?”

Charity shrugs and Jong Kook blushes, though he doesn’t look away from Joongki. Joongki stares right back, eyebrows almost to his hairline. 

“I guess it _has_ been too long since I’ve been by, huh.”

Charity points her spatula at him and nods. “Get out some plates, you faithless jerk. Where have you been that you can’t even stop by to see me once in awhile, huh?”

“I don’t really know if I’m ready to change the subject just yet,” he says grudgingly, heading to a cabinet to grab four plates. As he passes Kwang Soo, he leans down and whispers loudly, “Who is corrupting who here?”

Kwang Soo just groans into his folded arms.

In a couple of minutes, the two younger men are on their stools, digging into their reakfasts, while Jong Kook and Charity lean back against the counter with their own plates. Jong Kook finishes his quickly and sets his plate in the sink. He grabs Charity gently by the shoulders and moves her away from the counter, sliding himself into her place and leaning her back against him. Kwang Soo and Joongki watch with interest.

“So this is happening,” Kwang Soo says resignedly.

“No,” Charity says, but Jong Kook speaks over her again.

“Yes.” He wraps his arms around her waist and rests his chin on her shoulder. He can feel her sigh.

“This is not what I meant by one more day.”

“You didn’t clarify.”

“I’m clarifying now!”

“It’s too late to change the terms of the deal. This is how I want to spend my one more day.”

Joongki raises a hand as if waiting to be called on. Jong Kook nods at him magnanimously.

“I have no idea what’s going on here,” he says, “and I’m not really sure I want to know what my noona and my hyung have been up to.” He gives a mock shudder. “But I also only have one free day, and I was thinking we could maybe go play soccer?”

Kwang Soo agrees around a mouthful of eggs. “It’s a nice day.”

Jong Kook nods. “Yes, let’s. Charity, you’ll come watch, right?”

“I don’t really --”

“It’s my one more day!,” he whines, rocking her back and forth with his arms around her waist, cajoling.

Despite herself, she laughs softly. 

“Fine, I’ll watch you boys play soccer. I’ve got to get a shower and do a couple of things here first, though. Why don’t you get yourselves together and go before it gets too hot, and text me directions?”

The four agree on their plans for the day and Charity heads upstairs. The three men remain in the kitchen.

As soon as they hear the bedroom door close, Joongki and Kwang Soo spin on their stools to stare at Jong Kook.

“I like her,” he says simply with a shrug.

Kwang Soo’s mouth drops in an O and Joongki just smiles.

“That’s good, hyung. She’s a nice person. Does she like you?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kwang Soo breaks in before Jong Kook can answer. “What about Hannah?”

“Hannah?,” Joongki asks. “Oh,” he snaps his fingers. “The tall woman from last night, right? Wooow, hyung, two women!” He grins and shakes his head at Jong Kook. “I never thought you were the type for that.”

“I’m not,” Jong Kook insists.

“Then what’s going on?” Joongki is suddenly serious. “You can’t be messing around with Cherry if you’ve got another woman.” 

“I’m not,” Jong Kook repeats. “Really, Joongki, I’m not playing with her. I like her.”

“When did you decide this?,” Kwang Soo asks.

“I didn’t _decide_ it. I just… know it. I just like her.” He knows his answers are simple and without explanation, but that’s how he feels. Sometime in the course of the night, he had realized that he just likes her. Not just having sex with her, which of course they hadn’t the night before because Charity is nothing if not true to her word. He just likes being around her. He likes talking to her and getting her insight on what’s going on in his life. He likes joking around with her in the kitchen while she makes eggs. He likes that she’s so easy to be around, that he feels comfortable and at home when he’s with her. He likes that she likes his friends and that his friends like her. He can’t come around to a better explanation other than that he just _likes_ her. He doesn’t know when it happened or how, just that it is and that’s that.

“But what about Hannah?,” Kwang Soo asks again.

“And what’s this one more day thing?,” Joongki adds.

Jong Kook lifts his hat and runs a hand over his hair. “Charity says I have to tell her tomorrow.”

“Is this part of that whole soulmate thing?,” Joongki asks. “Kwang Soo told me about it," he explains at Jong Kook's surprised look.

Jong Kook nods. “Yeah, Hannah is the woman. I haven’t told her yet, but if I want to be with her, I have to.”

“But you want to be with Cherry,” Joongki says, frowning slightly. “So don’t tell her anything. Unless you want to be with her?”

Jong Kook’s head drops. “I want to be with Charity,” he agrees, surprising even himself. Even as he says the words, he doesn’t know where they came from, just that they’re true. “But I can’t.”

“Why not? She’s here, you’re here, you’ve already clearly become very acquainted.” Joongki winks at Jong Kook, then catches himself and scowls at him, totally torn on how he feels about his hyung sleeping with his noona.

“He only can have Hannah,” Kwang Soo tries to explain.

“What the hell does that mean?,” Joongki exclaims. “He can have whoever he wants.”

“No, Kwang Soo is right,” Jong Kook says. “It’s complicated to explain, but if you’re going to accept the whole soulmate thing --” He turns to Kwang Soo and points at him. “And don’t think I don’t know you’re hiding something from me about that.” Kwang Soo blushes and Joongki looks at him knowingly as Jong Kook continues. “If you’re going to accept the whole soulmate thing, you can just accept this: it’s Hannah or it’s no one. The fortune teller said that I’d probably meet other women, and probably have a good time with them, a time I wouldn’t trade away for anything, she said. But nothing permanent. There is only one permanent, lifelong option for me, and that’s Hannah.”

“Well, what’s she like?,” Joongki asks reasonably. “She seemed friendly, and she’s quite pretty.”

“Agreed,” Jong Kook says. “She’s friendly, pretty, smart, and driven. She’s at the start of a great career and she’s very focused. She’s kind to everyone. She’s a little intense.”

“Do you like her?”

Jong Kook is quiet for a moment. “I want to. I wanted to. I dragged my feet for a long time before we started to get to know each other, and thought about her a lot during that time. I liked her then. I liked her a _lot_. But I didn’t know her. I liked a girl I made up in my mind.”

“Is Hannah not that girl, hyung?,” Kwang Soo asks.

“No. She’s not. That doesn’t mean she’s not great. But she’s not the idea of my perfect mate that I had in mind. That’s not a bad thing - I mean, there’s no way she _could_ have been that. But it’s been a tough adjustment. I think she’s great. But do I like her… ?” Here he sighs and doesn’t continue.

“If Hannah’s not that girl in your head, is Cherry?,” Joongki has settled onto his stool now, elbows propped on the counter, a serious look on his face. He seems intent on helping Jong Kook get to the bottom of the whole thing.

Jong Kook laughs. “No. No, she’s not, either. Not at _all_.” He laughs again at the ludicrous idea of Charity being _anything_ like the perfect match he’d built up in his mind.

“If I’m remembering correctly,” Kwang Soo says, “you’ve got to tell Hannah about your visit to the fortune teller, and from there, everything will work out fine, right?”

“That’s the theory,” Jong Kook replies.

“So we can assume that if you tell her, you’ll like her?,” Joongki doesn’t look at all convinced.

“I guess.” Jong Kook shrugs.

“So this one more day,” Joongki says slowly, thinking it through. “Cherry knows all about the Hannah thing, then, right? And she’s giving you one more day with her before you tell Hannah?”

Jong Kook nods. “That’s how I’m taking it, though I doubt that’s exactly as she intended it.”

“Does Cherry like you, hyung?,” Kwang Soo asks quietly.

“She hasn’t said so, but… I kind of think so.” In reality, he only has himself half convinced, and even that half isn't based on anything more than his own feelings. It's impossible for him to believe that he can suddenly feel what are appearing to be pretty intense feelings for her without some reciptocation on her end, even just a little bit. 

Joongki sits up on his stool and leans back a bit. “She’s pretty clear with her feelings, you know.”

“I know, but… I feel like there’s something there.”

Kwang Soo is looking at him sympathetically. Jong Kook looks to Joongki to see the same look reflected in his face.

“So what’s your plan, then?,” Kwang Soo asks. “If you don’t tell Hannah, it’s not like you’ll get to stay with Cherry.”

Jong Kook inclines his head in agreement. “I know. She’s already talking about leaving at the end of the year.”

Kwang Soo’s head shoots up. “She’s _what_?” He looks vaguely ill.

“Her visa won’t last forever, Kwang Soo. Are you okay?,” Jong Kook’s concern turns to his friend instead of himself for the first time in a long time, and he internally winces at his own self-absorption. 

“I…,” Kwang Soo’s mouth hangs open and he stares blankly forward. Joongki lays a hand on his friend’s back.

“You know Kwang Soo had his own meeting with the fortune teller, right, Jong Kook hyung?”

“I’d assumed as much by this point, but I don’t know any details. Kwang Soo, is _your_ soulmate Charity?”

“No, no,” Kwang Soo shakes his head and makes a face. Jong Kook gives him a threatening look back.

“Then what’s going on?”

Kwang Soo sighs. “I guess I might as well get it out there. It’s not any crazier than your own story, anyway.” He takes a deep breath. “So when we left the night of your birthday, I grabbed a card. I meant it to be for you in case you ever changed your mind, but after Haha’s announcement, I started to get curious, I admit it. Not too long ago now - five or six months? I went myself. And I asked her to show me.”

Joongki just listens, clearly familiar with the story.

“And?,” Jong Kook prods. “What did you see?”

“It was weirder than your situation, if you can believe it. She told me she couldn’t show me what my soulmate was doing right then, like she had for you. She said it was an unusual situation, but one that comes up from time to time when a group of the same social circle visits her. There are overlaps and people in common, like you’d expect. So Byul had been there, and you, and me, and Gary --” Jong Kook’s eyes widen in surprise at this “-- and,” Kwang Soo coughs lightly and Joongki’s face turns bright red. Jong Kook tilts his head and raises his eyebrows at him, but Joongki just shakes his head and gestures for Kwang Soo to continue.

“Anyway,” he says, “she couldn’t show me what was happening right then because everything was, as she put it, ‘in flux.’ Unlike you, I have a soulmate in Korea. It was just completely undetermined if I’d meet her or not. Some other people had already been through, changes and adjustments had been made -- “ he glares at Joongki “-- and there was no way to guarantee I’d ever come across her.”

“So what _could_ she show you?,” Jong Kook asked, moving closer to the kitchen island now.

“A bit from the future,” Kwang Soo replied. “Something she said she doesn’t usually have to do, but it was the only solid place she could find on the string. Like, one event that was sure to happen.”

“And what did you see?,” Jong Kook asks, already suspecting the answer.

“Cherry,” Kwang Soo supplies and the breath leaves Jong Kook’s body.

“But it’s not her, right?,” he asks quickly. “She’s not your soulmate?”

“No, I said that, hyung, calm down.” Kwang Soo looks irritated. “But my soulmate _will_ be around her. At some point. I don’t know when or where.”

“So you’re just hanging around Charity so you can meet your soulmate?”

“No!,” Kwang Soo protests. “No, I really _like_ Cherry, for real, hyung. I’m serious.” Kwang Soo looks sincere.

“Me, too,” Joongki volunteers.

“I didn’t even recognize her at first, you know how everything gets kind of muddled and hazy, and she didn’t really look exactly like she looks now. It’s really hard to remember. But after hanging out with her for a while, I realized it _was_ her that I saw, and I know that if I just stick by her, I’ll meet the woman.”

Realization dawns on Jong Kook much more slowly than it should have. 

“So…,” he says, thinking. “You don’t want Charity to leave Korea because you like her, but also because it would cut off your chances to meet your soulmate. You don’t like her going out with a lot of men in case she has a bad experience and wants to leave. You didn’t want me to upset Charity because you didn’t want us both kicked out of her apartment, because you need to be here in case your soulmate shows up. You don’t like the idea of me being involved with Charity in case things go south somehow and she ends contact with me and, by association, my friends.”

Kwang Soo nods miserably. “I don’t mean to sound selfish, hyung, but why?,” he whines. “Why did you have to sleep with her?”

Jong Kook is abashed. “Honestly, Kwang Soo, I was as surprised as you were. It’s not something I ever thought would happen. One night, Zoe had just left, she was drinking, and we were talking and…” Even thinking back now, he still can’t put his finger on exactly what happened. “It just… happened.”

“I wish stuff like that would _just happen_ to me more often,” Joongki grumbles, and the other two roll their eyes, reasonably certain Joongki has no problems “just happening” to end up in bed with a woman fairly frequently.

“Kwang Soo, does Charity know all of this?”

Kwang Soo looks down at his phone. “Oh, we should get going.” He stands and collects the remaining dishes and sets them in the sink. The two other men move to gather their things and keys and head for the door.  “Cherry!,” Kwang Soo yells up the stairs. “We’re leaving! We’ll text you!” He turns back to the other two as they leave the apartment and head for the elevator. “And yes, she does know.”

“What does she think about all of it?”

Kwang Soo grins. “She introduces me to every woman she knows. She calls me from everywhere if she runs into someone that seems like they have potential. She’s totally on the case.”

Jong Kook grins, too. “She’s great.”

“She really is,” Kwang Soo agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four more chapters! Are you having fun? I hope so. See you again soon!


	49. One More Day

The men have been running somewhat foolishly around a local soccer field for nearly two hours when Jong Kook’s phone rings. He jogs over to the sideline to pick it up, raising his finger in a “just a moment” gesture to the other two, who flop gratefully to the ground, chests heaving. He looks down at the call display, shocked to see Hannah’s name lighting up the screen. She usually texts. He picks up quickly.

“Hannah? Is everything okay?,” he asks immediately.

“Jong Kook oppa. Yes, everything is fine. I’m calling to apologize for disappearing last night.”

Jong Kook feels a flash of guilt just then, realizing he hasn’t checked in with her, not a call or a text, since she had vanished the night before.

“Ah, yes, a friend of mine saw you leaving. He said he offered to buy you a drink.”

“Oh, that handsome guy with the cute baby face?”

Jong Kook laughs. “That sounds like him. His name is Song Joongki.”

“Well, tell Joongki I said hello, and that I’ll take him up on it next time.”

Jong Kook laughs again. “All right, I’ll do that. He’s here now. We’re playing soccer.”

“Oh, fun.”

“Would you like to join us?,” he asks out of politeness, holding his breath until she replies.

“No, no, not today. I’ve got to make up for the time I took off last night!”

“The time you took off? It was less than an hour before you left!”

“I can do a lot in an hour, Jong Kook oppa. Anyway, again, I’m calling to apologize. I’m sorry I left without saying anything to you.”

“It’s okay,” he reassures her. “Things come up sometimes, it happens. Is everything all right, though? Did something happen?”

She sighs deeply and there’s silence on the line for a moment. Finally, she says, “Am I a terrible person if I say I just don’t want to talk about it?”

“Not at all,” he replies, “but are you sure everything's all right?”

She sighs again. “Yes, I’m sure. Really. I promise.”

“I guess we’ll need a rain check for a night out then, huh?,” he says.

“Definitely,” she agrees. “In fact, do you want to come by my apartment for a late lunch tomorrow? I’m really busy all day, but Daniel will be out, and I need to eat anyway, so…”

Jong Kook remembers what Charity said about one more day, and how he has to tell her tomorrow. He feels almost certain that if he doesn’t take the initiative and set up something with Hannah himself, Charity will manhandle him all the way to Hannah’s front door.

“Ah… yeah. Yes. That sounds good. And again, you’re really sure you’re okay, right?”

“I’m definitely okay, Jong Kook oppa. I’m sorry I left in a hurry. Something came up that I just didn’t feel up to dealing with right then, but I’m ready to handle it now. I’m just fine. I really appreciate your concern, though. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 _“Probably be just fine,”_ he thinks to himself. Hannah is incredibly self-sufficient and independent. He can even remember an occasion or two where she hesitated to take his hand to help her from the car, or let him open a door for her. She is not the type who wants his help, let alone needs it.

“All right, but I’ll need to see for myself tomorrow,” he jokes.

“Tomorrow,” she confirms. “I’ll let you get back to your soccer. Have a great day!”

Jong Kook ends the call and bends over to slide the phone back into his bag. When he straightens up, he looks across the field to see Joongki and Kwang Soo peeling themselves up from the ground and heading over to the sidelines, where Charity is shaking a blanket out into the air. He heads that way, as well. The two younger men reach her before he does, and they each grab a corner of the blanket, helping her spread it evenly on the ground.

"I brought lunch," Charity says. "Are you all hungry or still full from eggs?"

"Hungry!," all three bellow at once and she laughs. Jong Kook takes the time to get a good look at her. Rather than her usual skinny jeans and messy hair, Charity's wearing a light blue sleeveless sundress that's fitted on top and flares out at the waist. She also has on flat brown strappy sandals. Her hair is half down, draping around her shoulders, and she's wearing light, fresh makeup - none of her usual harsh black liner and bright red lips.

She catches him looking at her appreciatively and raises her eyebrows at him, then gestures to the blanket.

"Sit down, guys, and take a break. You can go another round after you get some food in you."

Kwang Soo settles himself at her left side. Joongki plops down on her right. Jong Kook glares at the two men, but sits across from Charity anyway. Joongki and Kwang Soo cheer as she removes container after container from a seemingly bottomless bag she’s brought along. Side dishes, sandwiches, and desserts all pile up in front of them.

"Eat as much as you can so I don't have to carry it all back to my car," she says jokingly. The men need no further encouragement, jostling amongst themselves for their favorite dishes, passing items back and forth, and joking around as they replace all the calories they just burned off. Charity watches with an indulgent smile, very much the mother hen looking over all her baby chicks. She stretches her legs out in front of her and leans back on her hands, sliding a pair of sunglasses down from her hair and over her eyes as she turns her face up to the sun.

“Who’s winning?,” she asks, not looking at them.

“I am,” Joongki mumbles around a mouthful of cucumber.

“No way!,” Kwang Soo exclaims. “We’re definitely tied.”

“We were keeping score?,” Jong Kook asks lazily, his eyes on Charity.

Kwang Soo and Joongki devolve into bickering over who has had the best goals so far, and start laying out a plan for a competition to be held after lunch is finished. One player against two defenders, rotating, three shots each. Points for demonstration of difficult skills. Charity to be the judge. As they chatter at each other, Jong Kook begins nudging Kwang Soo gently with his foot. Once he has his attention, he jerks his head to the side, indicating that he wants to swap places.

“Ah, hyung,” Kwang Soo grumbles, but Jong Kook narrows his eyes and Kwang Soo scrambles to his feet. Jong Kook slides over into the position next to Charity and moves her gently, placing his own legs on either side of hers and leaning her back against his chest. He rests back on one arm and wraps the other around her waist. Kwang Soo and Joongki watch, Kwang Soo with some sympathy, but keep their bantering going.

“So, tomorrow,” Charity says suddenly, interrupting the ever more heated conversation. “Are you --”

“I already talked to her,” Jong Kook breaks in. “We’re having a late lunch.”

“Good.” Charity nods and her hair brushes against his neck. “How are you --”

“Can we not talk about it?,” he says tersely. “I’ll do it tomorrow. Today, let’s just do this.”

Kwang Soo and Joongki are silent now, watching. Charity slides her sunglasses back up and tips her head back to look up at Jong Kook. He looks down at her, and they hold eye contact for a long moment. Rather than answering, she searches his eyes, then pulls her sunglasses back down and settles back against his chest. Joongki and Jong Kook smile. Kwang Soo looks wary and shakes his head at his hyung.

“Hurry up and finish eating,” she says, waving her hand at the food. “I’m ready to watch some sexy men run around all sweaty.”

“You think I’m sexy?,” all three say simultaneously.

She just laughs and waves them on to their lunch again.

Not too much later, the food containers are packed back into her magic bag and she pulls her blanket closer to the sidelines to watch the epic, needlessly complicated, somewhat violent soccer tournament-slash-shootout-slash-clusterfuck Kwang Soo and Joongki have devised. The first two attempts, made by Kwang Soo, go fairly well and she golf claps in approval, but very quickly the whole thing dissolves into an all out ball-tussling brawl. Rules go out the window to be replaced by more of a “goal at any cost” method. The men are tripping each other and rolling on the ground, with Kwang Soo showing no shame when reaching for the ball with his hands. Joongki and Jong Kook try to remain above the cheating for as long as possible, but soon Joongki is punching the ball out of Kwang Soo’s grasp and Jong Kook is tackling them both down with a shoulder to the stomach whenever possible. Charity laughs and claps and cheers for especially brilliant moves, occasionally holding up her cell phone for pictures and videos of the madness. When it’s finally over, she’s asked to declare a winner.

“Well,” she starts. “I’ve reviewed the footage. First of all, I’d like to say you all played a great game out there today.” She pats each of the sweaty men on the head where they lay, now in limp heaps on the blanket.

“I want you to know I take my position very seriously, and it’s not without deep consideration that I confer these awards. First, the prize for pure, violent, and totally unnecessary physicality goes to… Kim Jong Kook-ssi!” She smiles benevolently as Jong Kook raises champion arms weakly and the other two hoot and clap for him.

“Second, for acts of treachery well beyond what a normal man would be willing or even able to commit, I’d like to recognize… Lee Kwang Soo!”

Kwang Soo scrambles to his feet and opens his mouth as if to begin an acceptance speech, but she reaches up to clasp a hand over his mouth until he gives up and sits back down.

“Lastly, the award for unending handsomeness in the face of grave indignity, please give a round of applause to Song Joongki!” Joongki frames his face with his dirty hands and gives his most adorable smile. Charity takes a bow and sits back down.

“Seriously, though, Cherry,” Kwang Soo says. “Who won?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?,” she laughs. “Kim Jong Kook-ssi made, like, 8 goals to each one the two of you made combined.”

The two losers immediately erupt in protests.

“He cheated! He cheated the whole time!”

“Eight? That’s a little high. It was more like five or six.”

“Were you even watching? Did you see when I jumped right over him?”

“Aren’t there any points for style?”

“You know, I’m certain he’s been doping. I demand a blood test!”

“The ref is sleeping with one of the players!”

Jong Kook and Charity laugh, letting the two boys mount ever more ridiculous defenses against Charity’s ruling. Jong Kook pulls his hat down over his eyes to block out the sun, then fumbles around for Charity, tugging her down to pillow her head on his shoulder. She slings an arm over his stomach and hooks one ankle around his, still chuckling quietly as Kwang Soo and Joongki turn their attacks on each other.

When the cacophony finally dies down, Charity stretches and yawns, but makes no move to get up.

“Well,” Joongki says, “this was awesome. But I’ve got to get going.”

“Me, too,” Kwang Soo says regretfully. “I won’t be back tonight or tomorrow night, Charity.”

“You’ll be back soon, though, right Joongki?,” she demands, peering out from under her sunglasses.

“I don’t know,” he grumbles. “Someone is living in my room.”

She shrugs. “That will probably change after tomorrow.” Jong Kook tightens his arm around her shoulders reflexively. “So I expect to see you more often from now on, okay? Don’t make me hunt you down, you won’t like it.”

“I won’t, I promise.” He leans across the blanket to give her a kiss on the cheek and shakes Jong Kook’s hand. “You guys have a good rest of the day, and Jong Kook hyung, give me a call tomorrow and let me know how things go. I’ll be waiting.”

Jong Kook gives him a thumbs up in response, but doesn’t move his hat away from his eyes.

Kwang Soo stands as well. “Are you guys heading back soon? Jong Kook, you can come with us if you want to head back to the apartment, or Charity… ?”

From behind his hat, Jong Kook replies, “I’ll go with Charity a little later. We’re not going back yet.”

She lifts her head from his shoulder. “We’re not? I’m not playing soccer with you, just so you know.”

“I am keeping an accurate list of all the things you’re not doing with me, don’t worry. But Kwang Soo, can you take the bag and blanket back with you? And wash the dishes, don’t just leave them in the sink.”

“Of course, hyung,” Kwang Soo says, offended at the thought that he would be anything less than diligent in his task. He picks up the bag and tugs at the blanket. Jong Kook and Charity sit up slowly and stand, dusting themselves off. With a final wave, Kwang Soo and Joongki head out.

“Was there something you needed to do today, Kim Jong Kook-ssi?,” Charity asks.

“Yep,” he replies, a vague plan taking shape in his mind, and grabs her hand with his own, swinging their arms back and forth. “Let’s take a walk through the park.”

She gives him a look.

“One more day,” he reminds her.

“Shouldn’t we go back to the apartment for that? I’m not looking to be part of your next scandal,” she jokes.

Jong Kook turns to face her and says, with lips twitching, “I’m not having sex with you.”

She shakes her head. “I see how it is. Are you going to hold that against me?”

“I’m not holding it against you, I’m just not having sex with you.”

“Fine,” she agrees haughtily. “I didn’t want to have sex with you, anyway.”

“Are you sure about that? You _did_ say one more day.” He’s teasing her, and she knows it. She wheels on her heel and stalks off down a nearby path. Jong Kook laughs and jogs to catch up, grabbing her hand again.

Jong Kook reaches into his pocket with his other hand and pulls out a face mask, putting it on. Charity rolls her eyes.

“I thought you didn’t want to be caught in my next scandal,” he says.

“I don’t, but you know that’s useless, right?”

“What? Hat, sunglasses, face mask. I’m good.”

She laughs. “Legs, arms, shoulders. No, you’re not.”

“Pfft, it’ll be fine.” He shrugs it off and they continue walking in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.

“What do you think it was?,” Charity asks suddenly, when they’re halfway through the wooded path that winds through the park.

“What do I think what was?”

“The change that the fortune teller made.”

“I don’t know.” He shifts uncomfortably. He’s actually been thinking that a lot himself, especially now that the moment is about 24 hours away. What had happened to Hannah that made her land in front of him? So much upheaval had gone on in her life before she arrived. Was it the breakup with her boyfriend? Fighting with her mother? The destruction of her parents’ relationship? He knows he doesn’t _want_ to know. It’s cowardly, in a way, but he doesn’t want to take responsibility for whatever unpleasantness had lead to Hannah’s arrival. When he tells her what he did, what if she _knows_ what it was immediately? What if she’s angry? What if she hates him for whatever happened to change her life from what she had planned for himself.

“You think it’s one of those butterfly flapping its wings things? Like, one day she turned left when she’d normally go right, and bam, now you’re getting married?”

“I really don’t want to talk about this,” he says.

“Tomorrow’s the day, though. You should be ready.” Charity’s staring straight ahead as they amble along, their linked hands swinging gently.

“I’ll worry about it tomorrow,” he whines. “Can’t we just do this today?”

Charity stops and turns to him, but doesn’t drop his hand. “What is it that you want to do today?”

“Can’t we just…” He’s embarrassed now, shuffling a foot and looking down. “Can’t we just be together today? This one last day?”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi.” She rests her free hand on his shoulder. “We’ll still see each other after tomorrow. I was just kidding about moving out of the room, you can stay as long as you’d like. Whenever you want, you’re always welcome, okay?” She tries to sound reassuring, but her tone has a subtle hollow ring. “We’ll still be friends. Nothing is going to change.”

Jong Kook nods and looks down at their joined hands.

“You’re just nervous,” she reassures him and gives his hand a squeeze. “It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be really good, okay?”

He nods again.

“Ah!,” she suddenly exclaims. “Ice cream cart! Let’s go that way.”

He laughs and they head off in the direction she’s pointing, across a wide open field.

“Charity,” he says, starting their hands swinging again. “Why didn’t you like me when we first met?”

“Huh?,” she replies. “I always liked you. You’re a good guy.”

“Yeah, but you were so… cold to me. Everyone else was talking about how great you are, kind and funny, and they really liked you, and I don’t mean to be an asshole, but I saw none of that for a while.”

“Well… you _were_ kind of an asshole, though.”

“Did we really meet that many times before I remembered you?”

“Uh, yes,” she laughs. “Many times. And every time was brand new. I mean, everyone reassured me that you’re a good guy, too, but I didn’t see it. It, uh, kind of hurt my feelings after a while. And I guess I didn’t treat you as well as I should have. I’m sorry.” She’s sincere, and he disengages their hands, instead sliding his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. She wraps her arm around his waist and their feet fall in step.

“When was the first time we met?,” he asks her.

“Oh, hm.” She thinks. “Well, we ran into each other - literally, smacked into each other - at the airport in LA one time.”

“Oh, really? I don’t remember that,” he says, stating the obvious.

“But that doesn’t count, we didn’t introduce ourselves or anything. I was a total mess that day, I didn’t even really realize who you were until way later. After that… let me think. I’d been with Ji Hyo about a week and came with her to Running Man for the first time, and she introduced me to everyone.”

“Did we talk?”

“Mmm,” she shakes her head. “Just shook hands and said hello.”

“Was I nice to you?”

“You were always pretty nice to me. Polite, definitely.”

“Huh.” The whole thing is still puzzling to him, but if he really thinks about it, he has to admit that during that timeframe, where he kept meeting and re-meeting Charity, he was _really_ deep into his thoughts and fantasies about what things were going to be like with Hannah, and probably barely registered any other women that came across his radar.

“I guess I don’t make much of a first impression,” she laughs.

“So why did you even let me come over to your place? I wouldn’t have let me.”

“Oh, you know.” She waves a hand dismissively. “I don’t like to be bothered a lot, but it’s a big place, and… I don’t know, it gets quiet. I kind of like having people there. And Kwang Soo’s kind of set up a home base in my apartment for the time being, so why shouldn’t he have his little friends over?”

Jong Kook nods. “Yeah, he just told me about that this morning. You just went with that whole story?”

“Why not?,” she asks. “He believes it, and it doesn’t hurt me any to go along with it. I like to keep an open mind. And I do believe it, sort of. I mean, I don’t _not_ believe it, if that makes sense.”

“I know that feeling,” he laughs.

“Come on,” she says, tugging on his hand. “Let’s go see if there are any pretty ladies working at the ice cream cart!”

After ice cream - Charity has two - Jong Kook ducks into a convenience store to buy some bread and they walk over to a man made lake in the park to throw bread at totally uninterested fat ducks and continue chatting.

“How is your Korean so good when you haven’t been here that long?,” he asks.

“It’s not my first time here,” she replies and he raises his eyebrows. “And I studied a lot in the states because I was home, you know, doing mom things, and the area I’m from has a pretty good pocket of Korean immigrants. I did a lot of volunteer translation work, too.”

“Ah,” he says, throwing a wad of bread and beaning a particularly lazy duck. “So do you like it here?”

“I do, a lot,” she replies. “I wish I could stay longer, and I still might, but we’ll see what happens. I finished up the sales contracts for my shares of the business this morning while you guys were running around.”

“Are you sure you want to do that? It seems kind of sudden.”

“Well, it is and it isn’t. It was always kind of just a vehicle to get here. I was pretty passionate about it when my friends and I were developing the project initially, but now it’s just a grind. And I don’t need the money, so…” She trails off and shrugs. “Travelling will be nice.”

“Mm,” he agrees. “Zoe would probably enjoy that.”

“Yeah,” she nods, smiling at the mention of her daughter, but she also looks a bit sad, and Jong Kook quickly changes the subject to keep the mood light.

“So you’re a makeup artist, too?,” he asks.

“Uh huh,” she nods. “I was working with a cosmetics company when I met Ji Hyo.”

“You’ve done a lot of things,” he says, impressed.

“So have you,” she replies, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “I like to be busy.”

“Me, too,” he agrees.

After they run out of bread, they cross the park again, back the way they came. Jong Kook talks Charity out of stopping for a third ice cream. When they reach the car, she tosses the keys to him.

They get in and she asks, “Where to now?”

“I get to decide?”

“It’s your day,” she says simply and he grins as he backs the car out of the lot. Charity leans over to crank the radio and bellows tuneless along with every song that comes on, whether she knows the words or not, one hand trailing out the window and the other held tightly in Jong Kook’s own.

A short while later, they pull up in front of an amusement park. Charity just looks it over as they approach the booth.

“I know you wanted to come here with Zoe,” Jong Kook explains, “so just think of this as a research mission for when she comes back.”

“Ha, all right,” she says. Before she can reach for her purse, he leans to the booth and asks for two tickets. Presenting one to her, he takes her hand again and they enter the park.

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi, is this a date?,” she says jokingly, teasing him.

“Yes,” he says simply, and tugs her forward. Her feet stay planted and she stares at him. He stares right back, not backing down but not adding anything more, either.

Finally, she sighs.

“Fine, but you have to buy me an ice cream.”

“Call!,” he says, and drags her off to get in line for a roller coaster.

Over the course of the next few hours, they ride rides, play games, and get ice cream and various other snacks. As it’s starting to get dark, Charity indicates that they should probably head back, as they both have things to do the next day.

Jong Kook reluctantly agrees, though his mind continues to scramble for any last idea or delay to drag out the time. Nothing can stop tomorrow from coming, though, and he walks ploddingly toward the exit with Charity chattering next to him about what she’d like to do with Zoe when they come back some day.

“Oh!,” he comes to a dead stop just inside the gates of the park. “Photo booth!” He points and Charity turns to look.

“Let’s go!,” she says, grinning at him and making a dash for the curtained cubicle. By the time he reaches her, she’s already slid a few bills into the slot. She grabs his hand and tugs him inside.

“Make a funny face,” she demands, and they both puff out their cheeks at the same time.

“Now smile,” he tells her, and she does.

“Now I’ll pretend to kill you!,” she says, wrapping her hands around his throat. He brings up his own and pretends to be fighting her, lolling out his tongue and rolling back his eyes.

“One more,” he says, and grabs her by the cheeks suddenly. He plants a kiss on her lips just as the camera flashes.

They stay like that, forehead to forehead, until the automated voice breaks in, reminding them repeatedly to please take their pictures. They exit the booth and Charity bends down to the opening, removing two strips.

“One for you, one for me,” she says, tucking her own copy into her purse. Jong Kook looks down at his with a smile. It’s been a great day. He knows she thinks so, too. He can only hope his plan has worked.

They ride back to Charity’s apartment in near silence. The radio is on, but she’s not singing now, just looking out the window and watching the headlights go by. He can’t think of anything to say, either.

The silence continues on the elevator ride and to the apartment door. Jong Kook keys in the code and lets Charity enter in front of him. She hangs her purse on the banister and moves to the kitchen to grab two bottles of water. He follows and she passes one to him. He reaches over to open hers, then his own, and they both lean against the counter in her usual spot, drinking.

“I had a nice day today, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

“I did, too,” he answers quietly.

She’s silent, and then, “Big day tomorrow. You want to talk about it now?”

“No.”

She sighs and pushes off the counter, making her way into the living room. He doesn’t follow.

“Do you want to watch a movie?,” she calls over her shoulder, digging in the couch cushions for the remote.

“No.”

She looks over at him questioningly. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

Her brow creases in concern. “What’s the matter? Too much sun? Do you want to lie down?” She starts to pile throw pillows at one end of the couch.

“No.”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi, what’s going on?”

He stares at her, his eyes burning across the space between them.

“I like you.”

She’s startled, her body physically jerks. She stares at him, then gives a strangled laugh.

“No, you don’t.”

“I do,” he insists. “And you like me, too.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more chapters! See you again soon!


	50. I don't.

Charity’s body jerks again, and it’s a long moment before she answers. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Her voice is controlled and even.

“I said,” Jong Kook repeats patiently, “that I like you. And that you like me.”

Charity laughs lightly. “I don’t think either of those two things are true, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

“And _I_ think - no, I _know_ \- they both are.” He’s bluffing a bit here, but he’s still half convinced that if he feels so strongly for her, she _must_ feel something back. And he’s spent their day together enjoying her company, yes, but also gathering evidence to back him up. The way she leaned in close to him as they walked through the park and clung to him on the faster rides. How they laughed together over messy snacks, and how she consoled him when he failed to win her a giant bear. Trying on matching ear headbands and putting them back quickly. Kissing her in the photobooth.

Charity sets the throw pillows back where they were.

“Anyway,” she says, making an exaggerated roll of her eyes, “is there anything else you’d like to do today? If not, I --”

Before she can finish, he’s stalking across the room. He stops in front of her and wraps his hands around her bare upper arms, leaning her back just a bit so that she’s off balance and needs to look up at him.

“I like you,” he says again, not dressing it up with any fancy words or explanations.

“No, you don’t,” she says back just as plainly.

“I do,” he shoots back.

“Stop saying that!,” she finally snaps.

“What’s the problem, Charity? What’s wrong if I like you and you like me?”

“First of all, of course I like you. I like spending time with you, I like your company. We’re _friends_.” She emphasizes the word. “Second of all, you’re just confused because you have that whole thing coming up tomorrow, and --”

“Don’t tell me I’m _confused_ ,” he says, irritated. “The last little while has been a mess of not knowing how I feel about anything, but I definitely know how I feel right now. I like you.”

“Stop _saying_ that!” She’s louder now, sounding exasperated.

“Why?,” he asks, unperturbed. “It’s true.”

“It’s not true.”

“Charity, I know how I feel about you.”

She sighs and shakes herself loose from his grasp, but doesn’t move away. He remains close, in her space.

“I think…,” she says slowly, not looking at him. “I think that you’re overwhelmed right now, and that’s totally understandable.”

“I am,” he agrees, “but not so much that I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

She turns away and walks into the kitchen, starting to put away the dishes Kwang Soo had washed earlier.

He takes two steps to position himself behind her, his chest to her back. He places his hands down on the edge of the sink on either side of her. She twists in the cage of his arms so they’re face to face. He sees the familiar flashings of anger in her dark brown eyes.

“Say you are telling the truth,” she says tightly. “Say you’re not confused. What does it matter? Tomorrow is happening.”

“No,” he says back. “It’s not happening.”

Her face pales, ever so slightly. “Yes, it is,” she insists.

“I’m not doing it, Charity.”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi, you have to.” Her voice wavers on just one beat, so subtle he barely catches it.

“I don’t have to. I’m not going to. I don’t want to.”

“But if you don’t --”

“If I don’t, then I don’t end up with my soulmate, yeah, I know.” He blows out a breath and takes another slow deep one. “But I could be with you.”

“That’s not an option!”

“Why not!,” he suddenly yells, control slipping. Another deep breath. “Why not?,” he says more quietly. “I like you, and you like me.”

“I don’t,” she insists, looking straight into his chest. “And beside _that_ important point, it’s not an option because are you _insane_? You’ve said it yourself - if it’s not her, it’s no one.”

“It’s not _no one_ ,” he replies. “The fortune teller said herself, if I hadn’t done what I did, then I’d still have had great experiences that I wouldn’t trade away once I had them, not even for a life with a soulmate. That’s _yo_ u.”

“No,” she says flatly. “No, it’s not. Kim Jong Kook-ssi, there is no other option here aside from meeting her tomorrow and telling her.”

“There is. You and I could be together.”

“I don’t _want_ to be with you!” She sounds almost shrill now, and, Jong Kook thinks, maybe even a little panicked.

“Yes, you _do_.”

“I don’t!” This argument is beginning to sound childish and Jong Kook knows he needs to attempt another tactic.

“You said the other night, when I was talking about her, that I’m smart, talented, kind and caring, that I have a stable job, and I’m good-looking, so why wouldn’t someone like me?”

Her mouth opens and closes but no sound comes out.

“I’m all those things,” he says almost arrogantly. “Of course you like me.”

She finally gets her mental feet under her to respond. “I was being encouraging.”

“Are you saying those things aren’t true?”

“You know they’re true,” she says, rolling her eyes at him.

“Right,” he agrees. “So why wouldn’t you like me?”

She just sighs, shaking her head. She moves to step to the side but he doesn’t budge, his arms like steel bands on either side of her. She looks up at him impatiently.

“Why did you have sex with me that night?”

“You were there.”

That one hurts, and he flinches, but presses on. “I don’t believe you. You could have gone out, or you could have taken one of those calls you kept getting, but you wanted to be with me that night instead.”

“Convenience,” she says firmly.

He tries again. “Same thing the next night. You were going out. You were dressed and ready to go. You stayed with me instead. Why?”

“My boots hurt my feet. It was an opportunity to take them right off.”

“Charity,” he laughs, disbelieving. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“THEY’RE VERY TIGHT BOOTS,” she yells petulantly.

“But they look great on you,” he says, suddenly smiling down at her and lifting one hand to trail a finger down her cheek. She takes the opportunity to duck out of his arms and walk toward the stairs. He grabs her wrist just as the reaches the bottom step and spins her around, backing her up to the wall. He’s counting on being physically close to her to work to shake her into admitting the feelings he knows are there.

“Last night,” he says, ticking items off his list. “Why did you change? Why did you put on that blue thing?”

“I thought it might be cold.”

“You thought it might be cold, so you put on half a bra under your not actually a shirt?,” he says, tone loaded with skepticism.

“... yes.”

“I don’t think so. I think you knew it bothered me, so you went to change so I’d be more comfortable.”

“That’s not true, and even if it was, so what? So I did something nice for you. That’s what friends do.” She emphasizes the word.

“You came home with me,” he forges forward.

“You carried me out of the club,” she counters.

He stares down at her, searching her eyes. He’s beginning to feel hope slip away. Maybe he’s wrong. Maybe there really _aren’t_ any feelings on her side. Maybe he is just confused, or nervous, or any number of things about talking to Hannah tomorrow. Her jaw juts out defiantly, waiting for his next attack.

“We had such a nice time today,” he says quietly, leaning over her. “We had such a nice day. All days could be like that. You gave me one more day.”

She chews on her lower lip and he needles at a sensed weakness.

“You didn’t have to give me one more day, but you did. You _wanted_ to spend one more day with me. You wanted just a little more time before I’m with someone else forever.”

She still doesn’t respond, eyes drifting off to one side.

“I don’t have to be with her,” he says, going in for the kill. “We could have more just one more days. More days like today.” He lifts a hand to her hair, letting a long lock run through his fingers.

She laughs without humor. “Just one more day. Or two? Or will it be three? Because we both know it can’t be forever.”

“That doesn’t matter to me,” he insists. “And I’ll find a way around it. I will. If you want to move, I’ll follow you. I’ll go wherever you and Zoe go.”

“Do you honestly think it would be that simple? Does anything about this situation seem that simple to you?” Her pitch is rising again.

“Doesn’t matter,” he says, setting his jaw. “I’ll do what I want, and I want to be with you, Charity.”

“It’s _not_ an _option_. What about that woman, the one whose life you changed? What happens to her?”

“Her life is fine,” Jong Kook says. “She was fine before and she’s fine now, and if I hadn’t done anything, she would have been fine forever!”

“But you _did_ do something, and you should take responsibility for that.”

“I can’t, and you know it. If I tell her, then it’s over.”

“No, if you tell her, then it _starts_. You can, and you will.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Yeah, today you don’t. That won’t last.”

“Charity --,” he starts.

She breaks in. “I think you should call me Cherry.”

“What? Why?” He’s taken aback at the sudden change of subject.

“Because my _friends_ call me Cherry.” She’s still looking off to the side, not directly at him.

He clenches his jaw tightly, furious with her.

“You need to stop being so fucking stubborn,” he insists. “I know you like me, and I like you, and this is happening.”

“No, it’s not!,” she suddenly explodes. “No! You are _not_ passing up this opportunity with your soulmate for some random scraps of time with _me_.” Her voice is shaking with poorly controlled emotion, though he’s not sure what emotion that might be. “You will _not_ let this get away from you. You will NOT GIVE THIS UP! FOR ME!”

Jong Kook freezes, staring down at her. Her chest is heaving with deep breaths of some intense emotion. She takes his moment of stunned silence to break away and jog halfway up the stairs. She turns back to look at him.

“You’re telling her tomorrow, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

“Charity,” he says softly, looking up at her.

“Cherry,” she reminds him, complete control over her voice now.

“Cherry,” he says through clenched teeth. “I know how you feel, and I know what you went through in the past, but I like you, and you like me, and it’ll be different. I promise.”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi,” she sighs, eyes focused on a point just to the left of his own. “I believe that you believe that, I really do. But this conversation --” she waves her hand in the air as if to encompass something trivial “-- has been pointless. I’m sorry. I don’t like you. I don’t see you as more than a friend.”

“But the last couple of days…” The steam is fading out of his arguments and he hates the creeping feeling of desperation crawling over him.

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi,” she says, her tone exceedingly patient. “We’ve had a good time the last week or so, but don’t confuse sex and feelings.”

He scowls at her. “I’m not confusing anything. And it wasn’t just sex, Charity.”

She looks down at him placidly. “Of course it was just sex.”

He clenches his jaw, a flash of anger washing over him quickly.

Before he can respond, she continues.

“I shouldn’t have pulled you into my bullshit like that. I should have known - well, I _did_ know - that it wasn’t your style, to have connection-free sex. I apologize, sincerely.”

“You didn’t _pull me in_. I was there, too. I made the choice. I wanted to.”

“And I thought you understood what it was, but I was wrong.”

“That may have been what it was at first, but it’s more than that now, and you know it, Charity.” He’s having trouble keeping his voice even, clutching the banister so tightly his knuckles whiten.

“No, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.” She’s not having any trouble at all. “It’s not more than that. I’m sorry.”

“You’re lying,” he says, looking her dead in the eyes.

“I’m not. You know as well as anyone else that it’s just what I do. I shouldn’t have done it with you.”

She turns her back to him and continues up the stairs.

“Then why _did_ you?”

She shrugs, her back still turned. “I’m weak, I guess. Like I’m going to turn down a willing hot body.”

Jong Kook sucks in a sudden breath. Her tone is cold and flat, absolutely without feeling.

“Cherry,” he calls after her, his voice firm. “You’re lying.”

She shakes her head and takes another step.

He barely believes himself anymore, but clings to one last thin thread, makes one last wild stab at it.

“Charity! If you can turn around and look me in the eye and tell me you don’t like me, I’ll let it go. I’ll go tell her tomorrow. I’ll forget all of this. But you look me in the eye.” His voice shakes. “You turn around and look at me and tell me you don’t feel the same way.”

Charity freezes on the stairs. A beat goes by, then another, before she slowly turns around, face composed and expressionless. She looks down at him, staring directly into his eyes.

“Why _don’t_ you forget all of this ever happened? If I recall correctly, you’re quite good at forgetting all about me.”

He feels something inside of him break and crumble, but struggles to keep himself composed, even as his knees weaken beneath him.

“Say it,” he says, dangerously quiet.

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi,” she says smoothly. “I don’t like you like that, and I’m sorry.”

“You’re lying,” he insists. She doesn’t respond, just continues to look down at him.

“You’re LYING,” he says again, punching his fist into the wall. “Stop! Just stop. I _know_ you’re lying!”

“Tomorrow is laundry day, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. If you have anything you’d like washed, just leave it by the front door.”

She turns back around and walks slowly up the rest of the stairs, letting herself into the bedroom and shutting the door. She doesn’t even slam it. Just a gentle click and she’s gone.

Jong Kook sucks his breath in as if punched, gripping the banister as he slowly folds to his knees on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much to my friend Bagels for helping me out with this chapter. Check out her stuff if you like BTS, angst, and BTS and angst. http://archiveofourown.org/users/bagelswrites/pseuds/bagelswrites
> 
> The last two chapters should be posted tomorrow! Please let me know what you think. See you again soon!


	51. 4-8-9-4

Around 5am, Jong Kook finally gives up on sleep and pulls himself out of bed. He wonders if Charity left the car keys out or if he should call his manager for a ride to the gym. He wonders if it’s even appropriate to borrow Charity’s car at this point, or if he should be packing his things to leave. He thought that a lot over the course of the sleepless night, actually, especially when he heard the soft sounds of her leaving her bedroom and then leaving the apartment around 2am. After that point, he felt too sick to his stomach to consider staying. To listen to her leave to someone else’s bed night after night. To have to see her every day knowing he means nothing to her, or at least not in the same way she means so much to him. He knows he needs to leave, he just needs to make himself do it.

For now, he needs water, so he pulls on some shorts and a tank top and heads into the kitchen. He walks barefoot across the apartment and pulls a pitcher from the fridge. Pouring himself a glass of water, he takes up a position in Charity’s usual spot against the counter, not even realizing he’s doing it.

Today is going to be hard, and he knows it. He thought a lot about the whole situation over night. For the first hour or so, he was determined that he’d _make_ Charity acknowledge her feelings for him. Pure fury powered him through for a long time, thinking up things he should have said and things he could still say. As that steam burned off, though, he remembers the things _she_ said. And the look on her face as she said them. The last of his hope dies off as it all sinks in, as he understands who she really is. She never pretended to be anything else. She was his friend. She was his friend who liked to have sex when things got to be a little bit too much for her. And he was convenient. That’s all there was to it. As he forces himself to grab a firm hold of that reality, his thoughts turn to Hannah.

Initially, he felt stubborn, spiteful. It doesn’t matter if Charity said she didn’t want him. He just wouldn’t tell Hannah anything, and Charity would see that he was willing to have no one if he couldn’t have her. That would show her. Of course, though, over time, he realized that wouldn’t show her at all. It would make her angry, maybe. Or worse, it would upset her. She’d still think he was giving up on Hannah in favor of her, even though she so strongly stated her opposition to that idea. And he does know how she feels about it. She avoids relationships, she said, for exactly that reason.

So when he heard the door open and close again at 2am, even though it felt like physical pain inside his chest, he knew what would happen today. He has to tell Hannah today. He has to tell Hannah and start their life together, if only to protect Charity from feeling like she’s the cause of him missing out on happiness. Leaning against the counter, going over this line of thought again now, his mouth twists sardonically. How ridiculous. He’s going to go start a lifelong relationship with someone who, while wonderful, does not interest him in the least, in order to do the best thing for the woman he really wants to be with.

If he could go back in time, back to that first night… well, he would have killed Haha, Kwang Soo, and Gary and left their bodies in the woods, never to be found again. But how could they have known it would end up like this? How could _anyone_ have predicted something like this?

He straightens with a sigh and places his glass in the sink. Heading across the apartment to the bathroom, he freezes in the foyer as he hears the apartment’s keypad activating. The door opens quietly and Charity slips in. For a long moment, they stare at each other. She’s not, as he had expected, dressed in her not a shirt and ripped jeans and smeared black makeup. Instead, she’s wearing shorts and a loose sweatshirt. Running shoes instead of knee high boots. A sweat-drenched ponytail instead of long waves cascading down her back.

For a moment, his heart leaps. She _hadn’t_ gone to some stranger’s bed. She was just at the gym. She went to the _gym_. Just as quickly, it sinks again. She went to the gym instead of coming to him. She, who is clearly no real fan of exercise, chose hours of sweating it out alone in the gym to rid herself of whatever she was struggling with, rather than knock on his bedroom door. So much for that “convenience” she had cited earlier.

She looks right back at him for a long moment and he thinks it almost looks like she wants to say something. She apparently decides against it, though, and heads to the stairs.

“I, uh… I thought the gym was closed at night,” he says dumbly, just to break the silence.

She pulls a set of keys out of her pocket and tosses them. He shoots a hand out reflexively to snatch them from the air.

“Top floor has 24 hour access,” she says tiredly, and trudges past him. “Head over if you want, it’s empty.”

Before he can think of anything else to say, an apology, maybe, or something to smooth over the situation, to preserve what’s left of their friendship, she vanishes into her room again just like the night before. He stares at her closed door for a long while before he goes to get ready for the gym.

 

* * *

After a few hours at the gym, Jong Kook lets himself back into the silent apartment. He heads to his room for a change of clothes and grabs a quick shower, not coming across Charity at all. Once back in his room, he looks around. His belongings are everywhere. Phone charger plugged into the wall, laundry pile in the corner, clothes in the drawers. He reaches into the closet for his bag and sets it open on the bed, taking his time with making sure he’s thorough in getting every last item. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back, or if he’ll ever be welcome back.

Around noon, he heads out to the kitchen for a quick snack to hold him over through a meeting, until he meets Hannah in a few hours. His steps slow as he sees Charity standing in the kitchen with her back to him, looking through one of the cabinets. She has piles and containers of food out on the counter and is obviously planning one of her marathon cooking sessions. He takes a deep breath and picks up his pace again, determined to maintain some kind of normalcy, if not comfort, for the last few minutes they’ll spend together.

Just as he reaches the kitchen, his phone rings. Sliding it out of his pocket to look at the display, he sees it’s Hannah calling. He grits his teeth and picks it up.

“Hello?”

“Jong Kook oppa! Just checking if we’re still on for today.”

Charity pushes a plate of sliced raw vegetables across the counter toward him. He glances over at her, but she’s not looking at him, once again peering into the cupboards.

“Yes. Yes, we are still on for today.”

As he speaks, he keeps an eye on Charity. He can see her back stiffen slightly at his words and is somewhat ashamed to acknowledge that he’s pleased to have unsettled her, even if only a little.

“Great!,” Hannah enthuses. “What time works for you?”

“I’m at my _friend_ Cha -- _Cherry’s_ house right now,” he says, knowing he’s taking small, petty digs at the woman across the kitchen. “My manager is picking me up for a quick meeting in about 15 minutes, so after that?”

“Sounds good,” Hannah agrees. “So what do you think, 1:30?”

“Yep, that sounds about right. I’ll see you then for lunch.”

“See you then! Bye, Jong Kook oppa!”

He hangs up the phone and slides it back into his pocket. Picking up a slice of pepper, he munches on it, trying to maintain an unruffled exterior as he feels Charity’s eyes on him.

“So you’re going to do it,” she says. “Good.” She nods.

“I am,” he replies. “You’re right, it’s the only option.”

She nods again.

“So after today, you’ll be on the road to marriage, huh?” She forces a smile and starts slicing up a thin steak.

“I don’t know,” he says honestly. “Hannah doesn’t want to get married, ever.”

Charity smiles softly down at the cutting board. “No, she does -- wait, what do you say?” She lifts her head to look at him.

“I said that Hannah said she doesn’t think she really wants to get married. Of course, I _do_ want to get married someday, so I guess we’ll see how that works out.” He shrugs, actually still completely unsure how that’s going to work out.

“Ha Na?,” she asks?

“Mm,” he shakes his head. “Hannah. American. Why?”

“Nothing,” she shrugs. “You’d just never mentioned her name before.”

“Oh? Weird,” he says. “Anyway, that’s it.”

The conversation is awkward, but at least they’re talking. He thinks about his packed bag waiting on his bed, but knows leaving is still the best idea. Maybe, after a while, they can salvage some threads of friendship. It probably won’t be easy to be around her right away, but he knows he doesn’t want her out of his life completely and forever.

Suddenly, she starts loading everything back into the fridge haphazardly.

“I just remembered I have someplace I have to be today. Ugh, dumb, idiot me, haha.” She’s speaking quickly, running her hands under the sink and drying them on her pants. “Just, uh, turn out the lights when you leave, ok?”

She snatches her car keys off the counter and is out the door before he can even register what happened, though after a moment, he realizes it. He upset her. Knowing that he was talking to Hannah today, she likely realized that it’s all over between them. He should feel victorious, knowing she’s finally shown her hand, that she really doesn’t like the idea of him being with someone else at all, but instead, he feels hollow. The long night had given him plenty of time to reason out how he wasn’t going to get to be with Charity, and her sudden display of feelings feels like an empty win.

* * *

 

Just under two hours later, Jong Kook is trudging up the stairs to Hannah’s walk up apartment. His palms are sweating and he dries them on the back of his shirt. He spent the whole of his meeting tuned out, trying to decide exactly how he was going to approach the topic, and finally decided that Charity’s “rip the band aid off” method remains the best choice. He’s just going to go in there, blurt it out, and it will be over. Just one last obstacle, and he can start putting all of this behind him.

As he lifts his hand to knock on her apartment door, he hears raised voices shouting inside. At first, he assumes Hannah is fighting with Daniel, and adrenaline pumps. He steps back, ready to break the door down with his shoulder if things escalate any further, but then he realizes he’s hearing two female voices. Well, one female voice, mostly with occasional interjections from Hannah.

He lifts his hand to knock again, more insistent, when suddenly the door flies open and he finds himself staring down into familiar, flashing, angry eyes.

Charity lets out an uncontrolled shriek through her teeth. “I KNEW it!,” she says, stalking back into the apartment. She drives her hands into her hair, almost as if she’s unaware she’s doing it. Hannah stands in the kitchen, turning wide, confused eyes on Jong Kook.

“Charity? What is --”

“YOU!,” she wheels on him, finger extended and jabbing at the air in front of him. “What are you -- no. No. This is not -- NO. You cannot. I told you! I told you -- you CANNOT, KIM JONG KOOK-SSI. It’s CREEPY. And you fucking will NOT --” she stops and looks back and forth between the two others in the room, both shocked into immobility.

“AND YOU!,” she turns to Hannah. “What are you _doing_ ? Do you even -- does _he_ even -- did you TELL HIM?”

She's flipping rapidly back and forth between Korean and English. Jong Kook is having trouble following and Hannah looks totally lost. 

“No. Nope. NOPE.” Now she seems to be talking to herself, pacing a tight circle around the small living area of Hannah’s apartment.

“NOPE!,” she says again, pointing at each of them in turn. “How is this even -- NO! You can’t tell her. You absolutely can’t. I WON’T ALLOW IT. YOU WILL NOT -- wait.” She stops dead in the center of the floor, chewing her lip.

“Oh my God,” she says quietly. “Oh my God. You have to tell her.” She turns her burning eyes on Jong Kook, color high in her cheeks. “You can’t not. You already -- and now she’s -- oh my GOD. No. This can’t be. This really can’t be.”

“Charity, calm down,” he starts, approaching her slowly with his hands extended. “Why are you -- “

“Don’t you come near me! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS? THIS IS NOT OKAY, KIM JONG KOOK-SSI. 4-8-9-4!,” she practically shrieks, jabbing a finger at Hannah.

She sucks in a deep breath and her voice drops, chillingly quiet after the whirlwind of shouting.

“YOU,” she says, pointing at Hannah again. “You maybe fill in a few DETAILS YOU’VE LEFT OUT.”

“And you,” she says, turning to Jong Kook. She swallows hard. “You sort this the fuck out. Right now.”

She snatches her purse off the counter and storms out of the apartment, leaving stunned silence in her wake.

Finally, Hannah, makes a sound of frustration. “Ugh! She always just… ugh!” She runs her hands through her hair and blows out a slow breath.

“Uh, what was that?,” Jong Kook asks stupidly.

“Jong Kook oppa,” Hannah asks curiously, eyeing him from her spot in the kitchen. “How do you know my mother?”


	52. This is how it ends.

“What?,” Jong Kook asked dumbly. “How do I know who?”

“My mother,” Hannah said patiently.

“I don’t know your mother,” he replied, feeling like his head is stuffed with cotton. He can hear what she’s saying, but it’s not sinking in.

Hannah laughs lightly. “Then why was she just shrieking at you?”

“Cherry’s not your mother.” He continues to be an idiot even as the bells are clanging louder and louder in his mind.

“Cherry? You call her Cherry? So that’s where you were this morning? At my _mother’s_ house?” Her face is half shock, half confusion.

“What? No. Cherry - Charity - she’s… _what_? She’s your _mother?_ ”

“I see you’ve caught up, Jong Kook oppa.” Hannah grins at him.

“That’s not possible.” He shakes his head.

“Why not?,” Hannah frowns. “Don’t you think we look alike?”

Jong Kook just laughs weakly and shakes his head.

“Could I, uh, have a second?,” he asks, sliding his phone out of his pocket.

“Take your time,” Hannah nods as he moves to step outside the door. “But I’d like to talk when you’re done.”

Jong Kook nods and slides a hand over his face wearily. He steps into the hallway and dials Charity. She picks up immediately.

“I left my car keys under the seat. It’s parked out front. Bring it back when you’re done. I’m walking home so I don’t murder you when you get there.”

“I wasn’t planning on coming --”

“Oh, you’re coming back,” she says tensely. “How the fuck did this _happen_?,” she explodes.

“I don’t understand -- how is Hannah -- but _Zoe_ is your daughter.”

“Who the fuck are you, the daughter police? A person can have more than one daughter!”

“But Hannah’s --”

“4-8-9-4!,” she says, a tinge of hysteria creeping into her voice. “What the hell, Kim Jong Kook-ssi!”

“What does your apartment pin have to do with anything?” Everything is moving too fast for him. He’s hearing the words she’s saying, but none are clicking together in a way that makes any sense at all.

“4-8-9-4,” she repeats. “April 8, 1994! She’s twenty years old, you big creep!”

“She’s _what_?” Jong Kook’s stomach drops. “She is not.”

“SHE IS.”

“There’s no way. She’s so --”

“I was _there_ , Kim Jong Kook-ssi. I assure you, it was April 8, 1994.”

“But you’re 35.”

“So?”

“That means you were only --”

“WHAT OF IT, ASSHOLE? SORT THIS THE FUCK OUT.”

She hangs up.

Jong Kook stares mutely at the phone in his hand for a long moment before knocking on Hannah’s apartment door again. She opens it a moment later and he steps in.

He moves slowly over to the couch and sinks down on it, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. Hannah takes up the chair across from him and watches him.

“So,” she finally says. “You know my mother? I assume that’s who you just called. When I saw her at the club the other night, I never thought --”

Jong Kook lifts his head. “That’s why you left? You saw Charity?”

“Mmhm.” Hannah nods. “I was walking behind you, and I saw her. It took me a second to recognize her. She seems out of place at a bar, you know?”

Jong Kook most certainly does _not_ know, but he says nothing.

“And I saw we were going to have to walk right past her -- though now I guess I realize we were probably walking _to_ her -- and I just couldn’t do it.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to talk to your mother?”

“We’re not…” Hannah scrubs her toe on the floor, looking down. “We’re not really on the best terms right now.” She lifts her head and eyes him. “Is that what this whole thing was? Did she send you to meet me to, I don’t know, force me to talk to her or something?”

“No, not at all.” Jong Kook shakes his head. “I really had no idea at all that you two are related. She’s never mentioned you.”

Hannah laughs lightly. “Figures. I haven’t seen her since I arrived here. Actually, for quite a while before that, either.”

“Why not?”

Hannah shrugs. “We already weren’t doing so great before she submitted me for this program, and that was kind of the last straw. I just _cannot_ with her.” Hannah hisses out a frustrated breath between her teeth. “I don’t know what is wrong with her in the last year or so. First she drives my dad away --”

“Wait, wait,” Jong Kook breaks in. “Charity told me her husband is dead.”

“He is,” Hannah says and sighs. “He was in a car accident with one of the women he was sleeping with. If my _mother_ ,” she almost spits the word. “Hadn’t chased him off to see other women so much, it never would have happened.”

Jong Kook’s eyes narrow. “Your mother didn’t chase your father away, Hannah.”

“She absolutely did,” Hannah insists. “I don’t know what she did, but I don’t know how else a couple goes from so totally in love to barely speaking to each other to one of them starting up whole other families, out of nowhere!”

“I really don’t think that’s what happened at all.”

“It IS!” She stands now, fists clenched at her sides. “They were best friends! They were together for almost TWENTY YEARS!”

“They _were_ best friends,” Jong Kook agrees. “But that’s all.”

“No,” Hannah shakes her head. “No. They loved each other.”

“They loved _you_ ,” Jong Kook says. “They stayed together to raise you and give you a family. And from the looks of it, they did a pretty amazing job at it. You’re _twenty_?” He’s still incredulous. “How is that even possible?”

“I graduated college at 15, med school at 18.” She waves her hand, distracted. Jong Kook’s jaw drops.

“That’s amazing, Hannah.”

She shrugs. “You don’t really know my mother, Jong Kook oppa. She ruined everything.”

“Did she make you go to college that young?”

“No, I wanted to.”

“Did she make you become a doctor?”

“No, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.”

“I’m not really following how she ruined everything, Hannah.”

Her eyes flash. “Maybe if _she’d_ worked harder at something, went to college, got a real job, took care of my father better, or tried harder, he never would have had to cheat on her and he never would have died!”

Jong Kook leaps to his feet. “Hey! Hannah, you cannot talk about your mother like that.”

Hannah scoffs.

“Seriously,” he says. “Why do I feel like _you’re_ the one who doesn’t really know her? Didn’t you say yourself that she was always a real mom-type mom? Always welcoming your friends, always taking care of you? Didn’t you say that when you got too serious, she helped lighten you up? That she did everything she could to make sure your childhood was great? And clearly supported you to excel in so many areas, too?”

“I did,” Hannah allows.

“And don’t you think that someone that dedicated to you, dedicated to her _family_ , might have protected you from the reality of what was going on between her and your father? Don’t you think someone like that would bend over backward to make sure you _never_ knew that she had given up on her own life goals - at fifteen years old! - to make sure that _you_ had the perfect life she didn’t have?”

Hannah doesn’t respond.

“Don’t you think,” Jong Kook continues, wheeling out of control at this point. “That it’s possible that as smart as you are and as mature as you are, you _don’t_ know everything about your mother or how her life works? Don’t you think that it’s a little high and mighty of you to look down on your mother for not having the same education and career that _you_ have, when she gave up her chance at all that so _you_ could have it?”

Hannah grits her teeth. “Jong Kook oppa, I don’t know who you think you are to be talking about me and my mother like this, like you know us, but -- oh.” Realization dawns on her face. “Oh, my god. Jong Kook oppa, do you… do you _like_ my mother?”

His mouth opens and closes. 

“I don’t believe this,” she says. “She can just forget my father so easily?”

“She hasn’t forgotten anyone, Hannah. She _never_ forgets anyone. She is easily one of the most caring, considerate people I’ve ever met. I don’t think for she’s forgotten your father for a single _second_. I do think, however, that she’s finally living her own life.”

Hannah’s face darkens and it looks like she’s about to fire back, but all of a sudden it crumbles, and her eyes fill with tears. She sags back into her chair and covers her eyes with her hands.

“I know!,” she wails. “I know all this. Or at least, I knew it. It was just… easier to be angry with her. I always kind of _suspected_ my parents were just… friends. But I didn’t want to believe it, not really. I wanted to think they were happy. And when it all fell apart and he was gone, I just…”

“Needed someone to blame,” Jong Kook fills in.

“Right?” Hannah lifts her face, her eyes red and cheeks damp. “And she never disagreed with me! She just comforted me and nodded along! Add in all the stuff my grandmother says about her --”

“Miranda,” Jong Kook says with clear disgust.

Hannah laughs weakly. “So you’ve met.”

Jong Kook scowls. 

“She really doesn’t like my mother,” Hannah says. “She’s so certain that my mother ruined his life, that she trapped him by getting pregnant, that he would have had a better career and been a better son if my mother hadn’t come along and lead him away with her golden vagina.”

Jong Kook blushes at Hannah’s crude words.

“You know none of that is true, though, right Hannah?”

“Sometimes it’s just easiest to listen to the loudest voices,” she admits. “Especially when someone doesn’t defend herself at all.”

Jong Kook nods, sympathetic.

“So all this time,” Hannah says. “All this time that we’ve known each other, you’ve been hanging out with my mom?”

“Guilty,” Jong Kook says wryly.

“I’m kind of jealous,” Hannah says. She sighs. “I miss my mom.”

“You know where to find her,” Jong Kook reasons.

“I said some pretty nasty things the last time I saw her,” Hannah admits. “I don’t know if she’d even want to talk. Plus, you saw how angry she was when she was here.”

“She’s angry at me, Hannah, not at you. Besides, of course she wants to see you. Wasn’t her original plan to follow along with your father while he came to Korea? Why would she have gone ahead with the plan, without him, if you weren’t here? Wouldn’t it have been easier to stay in the States with Zoe?”

Hannah’s face lights up. “Did you meet the Zo-bo?”

“I did,” Jong Kook grins. “She’s something else.”

“Isn’t she?” Hannah beams proudly. “She’s my favorite person on Earth, for real. My grandmother brought her by briefly. I was so happy to see her and I can’t wait until she gets here.”

“Sure would be easier to see her all the time if you made up with her mother…” Jong Kook says leadingly.

She laughs and slaps his hip lightly. “All right, all right. Point made.”

He smiles down at her happily.

“So,” she says, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. She gestures to the couch for him to sit back down and he does. “You and my mother, huh?”

“Uh.” He flushes. “It’s more just me, really.”

“Oh?,” she asks. “She seems to like you quite a bit.”

Jong Kook laughs. “She made it quite clear she does _not_ feel the same way about me as I do about her.”

Hannah rolls her eyes. “Jong Kook oppa, my mother is _not_ a yeller.”

“Let’s go back and make really sure we’re talking about the same person,” he jokes.

“Seriously!,” she says earnestly. “She was unleashing the fury on you, for real.”

“Not the first time,” he concedes and Hannah laughs.

“She likes you,” Hannah declares.

“I don’t see where you’re getting that.”

“Jong Kook oppa, she didn’t even yell at my _dad_. When she doesn’t care, she just flat does not care. If she doesn’t like someone, she doesn’t have the time or energy to spend getting angry at them. She just cold cuts them out of her life. Ruthless.” Hannah makes a chopping motion. “But if she’s angry enough to yell, well. She definitely cares.”

Jong Kook considers this information.

“Trust me,” Hannah continues. “She used to yell at me a _lot_.”

“Used to?”

Hannah shrugs. “Once I started yelling at her - about my father, about applying me to this program, about everything and anything - she stopped. She kind of just took it. That’s why I figure she probably doesn’t want to see me. She just doesn’t care anymore.”

Jong Kook rolls his eyes. “You know that’s ridiculous, right, Hannah?”

Her mouth twists down at one corner.

“You know she was just letting you get it all out, probably letting you vent at her because she’s a safe space for you to totally lose it. You clearly have yourself very together in all aspects of your life. Where _can_ you let loose and blow off steam?”

“My mother,” Hannah admits with a small smile.

“And now?”

“And now…” Hannah thinks. “And now she’s giving me space to do what I need to do and come back to her when I’m ready.”

“Smart girl,” Jong Kook agrees.

“Not _that_ much space,” Hannah grumbles jokingly. “She followed me to Korea.”

“Why do I feel like she’d follow you to Mars?,” Jong Kook asks.

“Okay, maybe you _do_ know my mother.” She grins happily at him. “But, one thing…” she says slowly. “When she was here, she mentioned something about you telling me something or not telling me something?”

“Oh. That.” Jong Kook swallows hard. 

Now what? If he tells her, what will happen? He’ll be tied to Hannah forever. But she’s only twenty! No matter how smart and mature she may be, Jong Kook is more than a little uncomfortable with that idea. And then there’s the not so small matter that he’s already _slept with her mother_. He feels a vague sense of revulsion at the idea of ever looking at Hannah the same way as he has looked at Charity. And Charity. Of course there’s still Charity. He’s already resigned himself to the idea that they’ll never be together, but if he was with Hannah, he’d have to see her. A lot. He doesn’t like the idea of her being out of his life completely, but _knows_ he won’t be able to handle having her so close all the time. No matter what Haha and Go Eun and the fortune teller and everyone has lead him to believe about the way soulmates work, there’s nothing about Hannah that makes him believe she could ever erase the way he feels about Charity. Only time and distance will do that, and he can’t get either of those if he’s with Hannah.

“Well,” he starts. “That’s really complicated to explain. And just like you said the other night, I’d like to ask you to not ask me about it for now. I need some time to sort some stuff through and…” he trails off. “This sounds ridiculous, I know.”

Hannah shakes her head. “Nah, it’s fine. Today has apparently had a lot of surprising information for you, I can understand needing a little while to work through it all.”

“Thank you,” he says with relief. He’s decided he needs to talk to Charity before he makes a final choice on whether he’ll tell Hannah or not. Up until now, it’s always just been his problem, but he owes her at least this much at this point.

“Geeze,” he says, running his hand over his hair. “You’re only twenty.” He shakes his head. “I still can’t believe it.”

Hannah laughs. “I know I should have told you. I have a confession,” she says. “It makes sense that you like my mom, but…” She smiles bashfully. “I kind of maybe thought you liked me, just a little.”

Jong Kook says nothing but feels heat rising in his neck.

“And, I don’t know, it’s not that I wanted to pursue anything,” she says quickly. “It was just… nice. To have such a nice guy be interested. I haven’t really dated too much, you know? I’ve been very busy.”

“I’ll bet,” Jong Kook laughs.

“I kind of just fell into the relationship with Mark because it was convenient and nice, but nothing really special. And the idea that someone so handsome and, okay, I admit it, famous, might like me a little, well… I was flattered.” Her cheeks are pink now. “And I realize I was just making it up, I even knew it then, but it was a comforting thought. And I thought if you knew how old I was, you wouldn’t want to hang out with me.”

“Well,” Jong Kook says, hiding his nerves with a laugh. “You’re a lot of fun to hang out with, and I always want to hang out with you. But… I do like your mother,” he admits. “And that’s kind of weird, isn’t it?” He makes a face.

“It is!,” she agrees, making a face back. “And speaking of my mom, don’t you think you should go talk to her?”

Jong Kook winces.

“Come on!,” she says laughingly. “It won’t be that bad.”

He stands. “If she kills me,” he says, pointing a stern finger at her, “I’m coming back to haunt you.”

“Deal,” Hannah agrees, walking him to the door. “I don’t know what’s up with you two, and normally I’d tell you there’s no reason to be afraid of my mother, but… Well. Good luck to you, Jong Kook oppa.”

“Thanks,” he says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Listen. Come over and see her later.”

“I don’t know…”

He grabs her hands in his. “Hannah. Trust me. Come see her later. The two of you need to see each other.”

She sighs. “All right. Text me the exact address and I’ll try.”

“Will do,” he says, and gives her a quick hug around the shoulders. “I’m sorry today has been so… you know. But everything is going to get worked out, okay?” He’s not so sure about that on his side, but he knows he’s at least going to get the two of them back into each other’s lives before he slips away.

“I trust you,” she says. “See you later!” She gives a wave and shuts the door behind him.

He takes a deep breath, steels himself, and jogs down the stairs to retrieve Charity’s car.

* * *

 

  
He calls Charity three times on his way back to her apartment, hoping to give her a heads up that he’s on the way and a chance to funnel out any extra aggression before he arrives, but there’s no answer.

Letting himself into the apartment, he looks around, but the heavy silence indicates no one is home. He walks into the kitchen for water and dials her again, surprised to hear a phone ring on the kitchen island behind him. Leaning over, he takes a look at the display and laughs. It just says, “ _Who?_ ”

He grabs his water and moves to the couch to wait for Charity. He tries to think about what he’s going to say to her, but his mind is absolutely reeling still. How in the hell did all of this happen? What are the chances? Is this the fortune teller’s idea of some kind of joke?

He shifts and lies down on the couch, pulling his hat down over his eyes. He’s too overwhelmed to think everything through and must be more tired than he realizes, because within just a few moments, he’s dropped off to sleep.

* * *

 

  
“Hey.”

Jong Kook is jostled by a strong poke to his ribs.

“Hey!”

Another poke.

He slides his hat up off his face to see Charity standing over him, poking him in the side with her bare toe. She’s back in her gym clothes, damp and dishelveled.

He sits up.

“You went to the gym twice in one day? _You_?” He’s shocked.

“Shut up,” she says without patience. “Did you tell her?”

“I didn’t,” he admits quickly, seeing she’s in no mood for joking around. Not that he expected her to be.

“Well, you have to,” she says flatly, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Why?,” he asks. “What if I don’t? Are you so concerned about me spending the rest of my life alone?,” he says, a tiny bit of hope in his voice.

“No,” she says. “I’m concerned about _her_.”

“Why?,” Jong Kook asks, genuinely puzzled. “She’s doing great.”

“If there’s one soulmate for everyone, you are _not_ taking my kid’s away from her.” Her tone is so fierce, Jong Kook is taken aback.

“But Charity,” he says, “if I hadn’t gone to see the fortune teller, she and I never would have met. We never would have been together at all. And she would have been _fine_.”

Charity’s fists clench and unclench and Jong Kook is legitimately a bit worried she’s about to hit him. The rage radiating off her is almost palpable.

“What _did_ you do at the fortune teller? What did you do to her LIFE?”

“I don’t know,” Jong Kook admits helplessly. “I don’t know what I did, but is it that bad, whatever it was?”

“What do you mean, ‘is it that bad’?,” Charity near-shrieks. “You messed with someone’s _life_!”

Jong Kook hops to his feet. “ _She’s_ not the one who is going to be alone forever! _She_ is not the one who doesn’t get to be with the person she loves. _She_ is going to be just FINE, and I --” He breaks off, looking down at Charity, his heart thumping. He knows now for certain he’s not going to tell Hannah. He knows now he’s not going to be with her or with anyone. He knows that what he did at the fortune teller’s little house in the woods couldn’t possibly have been as simple as it seemed back then, and he knows that this is his punishment for messing with fate. Not only does he now know the truth, that there’s only one person out there for him and no one else, but also he met Charity. He’s not going to be with the one person for him, and he’s not going to be with the woman he loves, either, and that’s what he gets.

He startles a bit as those thoughts cross his mind. The woman he _loves_? He wants to question himself, to assure himself he’s being ridiculous, but he knows he’s not. Just like how he ended up in bed with Charity with no idea how it happened, just like he realized he likes her with no idea when those feelings crept in, loving her has barrelled into him in the exact same way. He doesn’t know how it got there, but it’s there, and there’s no denying it.

“Well,” Charity says, determined, “if you’re not going to tell her, I am.” She slides her phone out of her pocket. “You know,” she says as she scrolls through her phone, “there’s probably a reason you two weren’t meant to meet at all. She’s _twenty_ , Kim Jong Kook-ssi.” She scowls at him. “Twenty. You creepy, dirty old man.”

He sinks back down onto the couch and raises his hands in defense. “I didn’t _know_!,” he exclaims. “You know she does _not_ look or act twenty. She’s so mature. And so _smart,_ ” he says, still marvelling at all Hannah’s accomplished and is on track to accomplish in the future, all in such a short life.

“I know, right?” Charity grins down at her phone, every inch the proud parent, before schooling her face back into a frown. “So you’re just going to have to get used to being totally outshone by your partner, JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION!” She lifts the phone to her ear.

“You can tell her,” Jong Kook says. “But you know, if you tell her, it won’t ever work.”

She pulls the phone away from her ear and eyes him suspiciously. “What do you mean?,” she asks.

“The one condition that Ji Min put on the whole thing was that I had to tell her.”

“I know that,” Charity snaps impatiently.

“That I had to tell her _before_ she found out for herself.”

Charity’s face pales. “I forgot that part.” She looks down at the phone in her hand. “Then you tell her.” She jabs her phone at him, trying to force it into his hand.

He sighs. “I’m not going to, Charity. I’m sorry.”

“Why NOT?,” she explodes. “You _have_ to.”

“Do you really think her life will be ruined if I, specifically, am not in it?”

“As if,” Charity scoffs. “She doesn’t need you.”

“Right,” Jong Kook agrees. “And do you really think she won’t meet a great guy?”

“Definitely someone better than you.”

Jong Kook winces, but nods. “Right,” he says again. “She doesn’t need me. And she certainly doesn’t need a guy who is so hung up on her mother.” He looks up at Charity.

“Un-hang yourself, Kim Jong Kook-ssi,” she says coldly. “Do you really think I’d have anything to do with you after all of this?”

“I don’t blame you.” He drops his head into his hands. “I don’t even know what to say for myself. I hope you know there’s no way I ever would have done it if I had even a _hint_ that it would turn out like this. And I hope it comforts you at least a little to know that I’m the only one who will really lose out in this situation.”

She hesitates and he lifts his head to look at her. He can see warring emotions across her face. Finally, she sighs.

“I don’t want you to suffer, Kim Jong Kook-ssi, but…”

“I know,” he says, dropping his head back to his hands.

The doorbell sounds just then and Charity jogs over, buzzing the visitor up without calling down. 

“Laundry guy,” she says. “Did you want to send anything?”

Jong Kook laughs, amazed at how, as angry as she is, she can’t stop herself from taking care of all of the little details around her.

“No,” he says. “I’m going to leave today.”

“Oh,” she says simply. “Did you let Kwang Soo know?”

Jong Kook shrugs. “I’ll call him later. He said he wouldn’t be back tonight, right?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Well,” he says, getting to his feet.

“Well,” she says back, looking off to his left.

The doorbell rings then, breaking the tension that was starting to build. He jogs over to open it, relieved to have a reason to turn his back to her. 

“Is this the stuff here?,” he calls to her as he pulls the door open. “Oh.”

“Hello,” Hannah says, twisting her hands together nervously. “Is she here?”

“Yes, that’s the stuff,” Charity calls back, jogging over herself. “Let me just -- oh.”

The two women stand frozen, looking at each other.

Finally, Charity says stiffly, “Would you like to come in?”

Jong Kook steps aside to let Hannah in.

“Your apartment is lovely,” Hannah says, looking around. 

“Thank you,” Charity says, the two of them weirdly formal. “There’s, uh… there’s a room opening up for you,” she says, shooting daggers at Jong Kook with her eyes.

Hannah looks back and forth between the two of them. “Did I interrupt something?”

“No,” they both say at the same time. 

“He was just leaving,” Charity adds.

Hannah shoots a hand out and grabs Jong Kook by the wrist. “Can you stay a bit?,” she asks him, eyes pleading with him.

Jong Kook is torn, but ultimately can’t resist the plea for help in Hannah’s eyes. She’s never actually wanted or needed his help before, and it pulls at his heart. He knows she’s nervous, and he nods.

“Come sit down,” Charity says, leading the way to the couches in the living room. “Would you like some water?”

“No, thanks,” Hannah says. 

She moves to go sit on the couch opposite Charity, but suddenly turns on her heel and barrels headlong into her mother, flinging her arms around her and bursting into tears. She buries her head in Charity’s chest. Words are tumbling out of her mouth in a jumble. Jong Kook can make out “sorry” and “lonely” and “sorry” over and over again. Charity lifts a hand to Hannah’s hair, stroking it lightly as her own eyes fill with tears. Jong Kook quietly lets himself in to the guest room, shutting the door to give the two some privacy for what appears to be an extremely emotional reunion.

He kicks back on the bed, arms behind his head and ankles crossed. While he can’t deny that nothing worked out the way he planned or the way he’d hoped, it’s not as though nothing good has come from this whole debacle. Maybe he really _wasn’t_ meant to be with his soulmate, like Charity said. Not because of her age, though. Maybe his whole purpose in meeting his soulmate was to get her back on track with one of the most important relationships in her life. Maybe, if he’s meant to be alone, it can be enough that he’s played a small part in healing an obviously painful rift between two people he’s come to care about sincerely.

He sighs and closes his eyes, telling himself that this is where it ends and it it will have to be enough.

* * *

 

About thirty minutes later, Jong Kook can only hear soft voices coming from the main rooms of the apartment. He opens his door slowly and lets himself out. Hannah looks up and he raises his eyebrows at her questioningly. She smiles brightly in response, nodding to his unasked question.

Charity turns her head to see what Hannah is looking at and spots him. She stands abruptly.

“I’m really sweaty,” she says, rubbing at her eyes. “I think my contacts are crusted in salt.”

“Gross, mom!,” Hannah laughs.

“I’m going to take a quick shower. Will you still be here when I get out?,” she asks.

“Yes, I want to talk to Jong Kook oppa for a few. Cook me dinner,” she demands.

Charity grins down at her. “Will do.” She gives her daughter a tight hug, and Jong Kook thinks it’s the most at ease he’s ever seen her. She gives him a quick glance that he can’t read, then heads up to her room.

He sits down across from Hannah. “So,” he says. “That went well?”

“It did,” she agrees. “Thank you so much, Jong Kook oppa, seriously.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he says, lifting his hands.

“You know you did,” she argues. “I know you and I don’t know each other very well, but I think you know I would have held my ground long past what was reasonable, if someone hadn’t pushed me to make up with her.”

He inclines his head, acknowledging her point. “Fine,” he says, “but you did all the hard work.”

“It sounds like you haven’t had an easy time of it, either, though,” she says sympathetically.

He shakes his head. “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about Daniel.”

“What?,” Hannah laughs at the sudden change of subject. “Daniel? Why?”

“You know he likes you. You’re not going to date that soggy sock of a man, are you?”

“Soggy sock!,” she hoots. “Oh my gosh. No. No, I am not going to date the soggy sock.”

“In fact,” Jong Kook says, gathering steam, “I think you need to take your mother’s offer to move in here. Get away from the soggy sock entirely.”

Hannah is clutching her sides now. “Stop saying soggy sock!”

“Soggy sock!,” he insists.

The two continue playfully arguing back and forth about Hannah relocating, with Jong Kook throwing in “soggy sock!” whenever he thinks she might be gaining too much ground. They’re so entertained by each other that they don’t even notice the apartment door open until Kwang Soo is halfway across the apartment.

“Hey,” he calls. “We got done early -- oh, hello,” he says, eyes fixed on Hannah.

“Hello,” she says back softly, her own green eyes wide as she stares back at him.

“Lee-- Lee Kwang Soo,” he says, extending a hand. 

Hannah takes it and they don’t even shake, just holding hands and staring at each other.

Just as Jong Kook is about to demand to know what’s going on, Charity bounds down the stairs, hair tied up in a messy bun, large plastic glasses perched on her nose.

Hannah looks over. “Now _there’s_ the mom I know!,” she exclaims.

“Mom?,” Kwang Soo picks up on the English word. “Mom?” He turns to look at Charity. “Mother-in-law!,” he exclaims, flinging an arm around her shoulder.

Both Jong Kook and Charity erupt into protests at the same time. 

“Mother-in-law?,” Jong Kook bellows, storming over to Kwang Soo’s side to whack him upside the head.

“Oh, no. No. Nope. Uh uh. Nope. Not happening,” Charity chants. She reaches up and grabs Kwang Soo by the chin, turning his face down to hers and pointing a finger in his face. “No, Kwang Soo. No!”

“Oh?,” he says in surprise, looking down at Charity, then breaks into a grin and starts to chuckle. He grabs her by the top of the head as she squawks in protest, and turns her to face Jong Kook. Pulling back on her bun, he tilts Charity’s head back until she’s looking directly up into Jong Kook’s eyes.

He looks down at her and a grin slowly spreads across his face, laughter bubbling up inside him until he can’t hold it in, until he’s nearly collapsing with it the same way Hannah totally lost it over “soggy sock.”

Hannah and Charity, totally lost, turn to each other, shrug, and then look back at the two hysterical men, staring at them with two identical pairs of wide, deep green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, and leave kudos over the TWO YEARS it took me to write this. This has all been planned out from the beginning. It's been so much fun, and I hope you've had fun, too.


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